Do Flu Shots work?

[Johnny]

Well I know they do to an extent but here is what I have seen this year. I know 8 people who got the flut shot and a week later, BAM!!!!!! They got the flu and they got it bad. Throwing up, high fever, shaky and the works.
One of these people is my 3 yr. olds pediatrician. She got the flu shot and a week later she was sick in bed. She said this was the first time she had really ever gottne the flu. She had it so bad that she thought she was dieing and she even wanted her momma. By the way, this lady is 40+ yrs old and her mom passed away 5 years ago.
Anyways, I have never gotten a flu shot and I am 28 years old. I think the only people that need to get a shot are the elderly, the very young and people with immune systems disorders. The rest of us can hack it unless you are a wuss!!!lol
Also, there are risk with getting the flu shot and one of them is GBS (Guillian Barre' Syndrome.......http://www.guillain-barr ... rview.html ) which I have. I did not get it from a flu vaccine but this is one of the main contributors in leading people to get GBS.

[Guest]

Johnny - didn't think you could get a flu shot. My 13 year old nephew had Guillian-Barre - 5 years ago and he can't take the shot.

The flu has been bad here in Houston - and I think this is only the beginning.

[GalvestonDuck]

Part of the problem is that it takes TWO weeks for the flu shot to become effective in helping the body fight off the virus. That's why experts recommend getting it as early as possible. Those who get sick a week or so after getting the shot did not get sick because of the shot. They were probably already exposed to it to begin with and it was incubating within their system.

The flu shot works, but you have to have it early enough.

[CaptinCrunch]

I would say about 40% of the people I know that received the Flu shot when it was first made available has got or had the strain A flu.

[CaptinCrunch]

Part of the problem is that it takes TWO weeks for the flu shot to become effective in helping the body fight off the virus. That's why experts recommend getting it as early as possible. Those who get sick a week or so after getting the shot did not get sick because of the shot. They were probably already exposed to it to begin with and it was incubating within their system.

The flu shot works, but you have to have it early enough.

Plus the flu shot did NOT protect you from the strain A flu virus. That is why there has been such a LARGE break out of flu cases.

[Guest]

The second year I got my flu shot - I came down with the flu - this is the first year I have gotten it in three years. Guess its a good thing - now let's hope I don't get it.

[george_r_1961]

Getting a flu shot protects you from one strain of the virus only..the strain that the powers-that-be determine will be the prevalent one for the season. These viruses are nasty little buggers that can mutate making the vaccine useless

[VanceWxMan]

Every year I have received the Flu shot...and every year I DO NOT get sick. This Flu shot however has done a decent job. My wife, daughter and 2 of my 3 sons got the Flu in the past week. I have been around them the entire time and all I have had is a slight cough.
So YES I say that they work well especially when they (CDC) targets the right strand.

Aaron

[ColdFront77]

It had been said that getting the flu vaccine gives some people flu like symptoms and/or a cold.

[blizzard]

It had been said that getting the flu vaccine gives some people flu like symptoms and/or a cold.

This is not true though. THe vaccine is composed of dead flu cells to bolster our immune system from the flu. Most of the time when people get the symptoms after a shot, it is either because they were coming down with it anyway and the shot takes awhile to take affect, or is a mental trick their body is playing on them. In other words, they make themselves sick.

[ColdFront77]

I agree, Blizzard. You apparently agree with this being said from time to time, too.

[azskyman]

I've had flu shots for the last 8 years or so...and my winter illness has been less than it used to be. When I do get something, it seems less severe.

Because the track record seems to have been better, I do get the flu shot every year. Of course, at age 57 I am approaching those years when I am more vulnerable anyway...so I need to take care of myself more too.

[Miss Mary]

Like Steve, I've been getting an annual flu shot for a long time now. 10 years for me. And if I do get sick, it's to a mild degree. Compared to the flu I got in 93, a severe case, I can tell when I do get sick it's not as bad as it used to be. And remember, I am exposed to children every day, who can easily bring home illness from school. I swear by flu shots! In my case, they do work. My doctor once told me never to skip a year, that they build on eachother year after year. And so I make darn sure I get one every year. When they were scarce a few years ago, I almost didn't get one. I had given up, since my internist was out of them, local hospitals were out. Then when I was grocery shopping at my local Kroger's, the nurse in the Pharmacy area asked if I wanted a shot as I walked by. Thought I was dreaming! I said what? You've got shots and they're not spoken for (this was back when you waited hours in line for one)? Let's just say I couldn't roll up my sleeve fast enough! Another lady nearby was just as shocked as I was - we were actually getting a flu shot. I truly was going to give up that year, it was too hard to get one. I then ran to the phone, calling my husband to tell him to get his can up there, ASAP. LOL

That's my 2 cents worth on the matter.

Mary