What if I don’t know where to get it? Pharmacies, your doctor’s office, the little clinic in the convenience store, or the local health department all have it- and you don’t even need an appointment!
What if I’m afraid of the needle? The nasal flu vaccine was approved for use by the FDA again this year! Its not for everyone and its not quite as widespread as the injected version, but it is available in many areas.
What if I can’t afford it? Health departments and employers usually give them out for free. Pharmacies and clinics usually will run specials this time of year selling the shots at about $5. Most insurance (even crap insurance) will cover part or all of it, due to the potential cost later of a hospitalization for the flu. If you do have to entirely pay out of pocket (rare), the absolute most you’ll pay is $30-$35. And if you can’t afford that, tell the person you’re getting it from! They might be able to work with you.
But… I’m healthy and would survive getting the flu, I’d just be taking a vaccine away from someone who wouldn’t! Not so much. Only in extremely rare cases is there a shortage of flu vaccines. The vast majority of the time, there’s an excess. You’re never going to be taking a flu shot away from someone else. If there is a shortage, the CDC would make the decision on who would get the vaccine (but again, this would be extremely rare).
Also, the flu kills a LOT of people, and its not always the very young, very old, and very sick either. When swine flu was going around in 2009, otherwise healthy teenagers and young adults were being hospitalized and dying. There are many possible strains of the flu that don’t care your age or how healthy you are. They can still kill you.
What if I get the flu from the flu shot? This is actually physically impossible. The virus contained in the injected version of the shot is dead, and while it may cause a minor immune reaction (aches, low grade fever, headache) for about 24 hours, this is not the flu. If you do get sick soon after, it could very well be that you picked up the flu somewhere before your body made antibodies from the vaccine- just not from the shot. It takes 7-10 days to become effective, and until then, you’re still capable of catching it like normal.
What if I have a health problem? There is only one absolute contraindication to getting the (injected) flu vaccine- that you had a true allergic reaction to a previous flu vaccine. Even an anaphylactic allergy to eggs, an allergy to another kind of vaccine, or a risk for guillam barre syndrome is no longer a reason to no get it. If you’re allergic to latex, there is a latex-free version available.
If you have a problem with your immune system, such as being on chemotherapy or having HIV, you probably shouldn’t get the nasal spray version, but the injectable one is still A-okay.
Its usually wrong anyway. Sometimes it is, sure- there are many, many strains of flu and the vaccine only covers 3 or 4 in a given year. But a lot of times it isn’t. Even if it is wrong, having a vaccine will significantly reduce your risk of death from the flu, make the course of the illness milder if you do get it, and will still help protect others.
Basically, GET YA FLU SHOT.
It takes 5 minutes. Even if you’re not there to save your own life, do it for someone else. The more people are vaccinated in a community, the harder it is for flu viruses to spread through a population. Flu is miserable and its deadly. Some people, for whatever reason, aren’t going to get it. But if there is any possible way for you to get a flu vaccine, DO IT. You could be saving many, many lives.
This post was inspired by the Sawbones episode “27 Reasons Why You Should Get a Flu Shot” Available HERE.
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