According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less than half of all adults and children received a flu vaccine in recent years. This can be a scary fact to hear given we just had one of the deadliest flu epidemics since 2013, with the death count reaching 80,000. It’s clear that some of us still need convincing about the importance of receiving an annual flu vaccination, and here’s why.
You should know exactly what is happening to your body when you get a flu shot. Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies then provide protection against infection with the same viruses that are in the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine protects us against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. In more simpler terms, the annual flu shot helps your body build immunity to certain viruses that are most likely to affect us that year.
Seems pretty foolproof, right? So why do some people still refuse to get the shot? While the flu shot is a great, and sometimes life-saving defense against the most common strains of influenza virus, it will not protect you from all respiratory illnesses.
A common argument against the vaccine is that people still get sick even after they’ve received the shot, with some even going as far as saying that the vaccine itself is what infected them. If you get the flu within two weeks of getting the shot, you were probably exposed to the virus right before or right after you were vaccinated. It’s easy to see why someone would believe the actual shot is what gave them the flu right after receiving it. However, the vaccine is made from a killed (shot) or inactivated (nasal spray) virus and CAN’T give you the flu.
When it comes to the flu vaccine, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and people over the age of 65. Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. The flu vaccine can be life-saving in children. So what all of this comes down to is, getting yourself vaccinated will also protect people around you, especially babies and young children, the elderly, and people with certain chronic health conditions.
So when you decide against getting a flu shot, you are not only hurting yourself, but putting others in danger as well.
You should know exactly what is happening to your body when you get a flu shot. Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies then provide protection against infection with the same viruses that are in the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine protects us against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. In more simpler terms, the annual flu shot helps your body build immunity to certain viruses that are most likely to affect us that year.
Seems pretty foolproof, right? So why do some people still refuse to get the shot? While the flu shot is a great, and sometimes life-saving defense against the most common strains of influenza virus, it will not protect you from all respiratory illnesses.
A common argument against the vaccine is that people still get sick even after they’ve received the shot, with some even going as far as saying that the vaccine itself is what infected them. If you get the flu within two weeks of getting the shot, you were probably exposed to the virus right before or right after you were vaccinated. It’s easy to see why someone would believe the actual shot is what gave them the flu right after receiving it. However, the vaccine is made from a killed (shot) or inactivated (nasal spray) virus and CAN’T give you the flu.
When it comes to the flu vaccine, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and people over the age of 65. Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. The flu vaccine can be life-saving in children. So what all of this comes down to is, getting yourself vaccinated will also protect people around you, especially babies and young children, the elderly, and people with certain chronic health conditions.
So when you decide against getting a flu shot, you are not only hurting yourself, but putting others in danger as well.