Do flu shots actually work?

Question

Taking a preventative measure to not get the flu is a great idea. But I always wonder, is this just a placebo effect? Technically you’re getting a tiny dose of the flu in hopes to boost your immune system and I know so many people who’ve gotten the shot and end up not feeling well for days after. I’ve never gotten the shot... thoughts?

Gillian Armstrong · Answer

Not just for yourself, but think of other more vulnerable people. Flu season last year was awful, with many deaths as a result (think older people and babies). Get the vaccine and keep the virus from spreading!

Anonymous · Answer

It does improve your odds, and it makes the flu less severe if you do catch it.

More importantly, though, by protecting yourself you're protecting other members of your community who can't benefit from the vaccine and whose lives are in danger.

I used to skip it, figuring it's not 100% effective so I'd take my chances. Now, though, with an immunocompromised family member, I don't dare put other people at greater risk.

Tamara R. · Answer

I didn't get the flu shot for 20 years because I felt lousy for a few days after my first one. Then 2 years ago my brother-in-law nearly died from catching a very severe strain of the flu. He spent 10 days in a medically-induced coma, several weeks in the hospital and then time in rehab because it had attacked every organ in his body. The doctor said if he had had a shot, he still probably would have gotten the flu, but not the life-threatening severity. We all get our shots now.

CompLadyATL · Answer

I fully believe the flu shot is worth it because the risk of getting a different strain of the flu or side effects from the shot far exceed the impact of getting the flu full term and being very sick for 5 days +.  I was exposed to the flu last year and I think the shot helped prevent me from contracting it.

Explorer772879 · Answer

Wow, this original post contains a bit of inaccurate information about the flu vaccine. I’m was almost angry that this was in my newsletter.

First off, the flu shot is not a live flu virus. It cannot “give” you the flu, despite what people think. The side effects people experience are very common responses to an immunization. I personally had my flu shot on Friday and felt a little achey and tired later. My arm hurt at the injection spot. All of this went away within a day. This is my body’s very normal reaction.

While no immunization is perfect, the flu shot protects against several common strains of the flu. Last year’s vaccine wasn’t terribly effective, but even if you get the flu after the shot, it’s usually not as bad. Also: getting the flu is expensive. I was exposed one year before I got my shot and had to take very expensive anti virals (TamiFlu) to protect myself. For TEN days.

Most importantly, the more of us who get the shot, the better things are for the overall community. For older people, children and those with compromised immune systems, the flu can be deadly. Getting your flu shot not only protects you, it helps them as well.

Get your flu shot.

Anonymous · Answer

Didn’t work for me. Got the shot last year. Got the flu a month later.

Penny · Answer

I get the shot for peace of mind. To your point though, I never feel well initially after receiving the shot.

Cindy Gross · Answer

I always get a flu shot. I thank all the people around me who got flu shots the year I was going through radiation for breast cancer and therefore had a weakened immine system.  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/misconceptions.htm

Girly Girl · Answer

I make the decision every year to skip it because I used to get a flu shot and then subsequently get the flu and when I went to the doctor they'd tell me its because the vaccine i got was for a different strain of flu. so in other words, you can only vaccinate against one kind and if another kind goes around (which i think is common), then what you did is only partial prevention.

Balanced397826 · Answer

The adjuvants, surfactants, pro-inflammatory compunds, and preservatives can be very harmful for some genomes. Rather difficult to know if an individual is in that cohort until after a severe adverse event.  Also, getting the shot may allow a person to get a subclinical case, which means they would not show symptoms but could still shed. Speaking of shedding, this is a complicated issue. Live, attenuated viruses have a possibility of evolving inside a person, which might not make that person sick, but which can affect those with weakened immune systems. This is not the simple situation cheery sales campaigns make it out to be, replete with bribes for complying. I am 68, an 18-year cancer treatment survivor, and I approve this message, based on research and on lived experience.

Do flu shots actually work?

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