Frightened by the flu (shot)? | Health Blog

Halloween is around the corner, scary ghosts and goblins abound. ?While my son does not fear these seasonal monsters, ?he does fear the flu shot. Believe me, he is not the only one.

As a doctor, I have a plea. Please vaccinate yourself and your family against the flu this year.? Just now, a grandparent declined the flu shot here in my office. The flu shot is needed to protect her from the flu, and it is also needed to protect any spread of infection to her grandchildren and her cancer-stricken mother.

For a physician, it is sometimes difficult to comprehend some of the personal medical decisions of our patients.? Please understand, I try to understand your choices as well, but due to my professional training and knowledge, I am very opinionated.

I hate to say it, but the flu shot is what my children call a ?no-brainer?.? It is a killed virus and can NOT give you the flu.? If you get the ?flu? at the time you receive your flu shot, it is because you picked up another bug about the same time.? While I won?t argue with your persistence that your ?flu? is from the flu-shot, I will quietly disagree with your opinion.? I can also refer you to a good resource: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm, which will confirm the facts.

Are you still a nonbeliever? Are you concerned about side effects?? The most common side effect is tenderness at the site of the injection.? The soreness from the injection certainly beats the pain and suffering associated with the flu virus.? Trust me; it just takes one time for you to get the flu before you decide to proceed with annual flu vaccination.

Can you still get the flu after the flu shot? ?After receiving the vaccine, it takes about 1-2 weeks for immunity to occur.? Even with full immunity, there are several new unexpected strains of the flu that arrive every year. It is an ever-changing virus and thus the need for annual immunizations.? There are also many flu-like illnesses every winter that are NOT covered by the flu shot.

Contraindications to the flu shot? ?(That is an entirely different blog!) Refer to the cdc.gov web site for full information.? The flu shot is a killed virus and not active, but the coveted intranasal vaccine is an ?altered? live virus and is contraindicated in many conditions where immunity may be low.

What you need to know: If you have young infants (<6months of age), elderly parents (>65 years of age) or anyone with a low immune system (i.e. cancer) or respiratory problems such as asthma, it is YOUR responsibility to protect THEM against the flu.? At my clinic, if we (employees) don?t get the flu shot, we must wear surgical masks in order to protect our patients from our own contagion. Perhaps you should consider the great responsibility you have for family and friends and protect them from the flu by immunizing yourself.

Afraid of the shot? ?Ask my son and he will tell you, ?it?s not all that bad?

Source: http://healthblog.dallasnews.com/2012/09/frightened-by-the-flu-shot.html/

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