Well this sucks!

[LagerHead]

Never had the flu shot, never had the flu. I am not sure how they can develop a shot for a strain of flu that has not been identified yet. I researched vaccinations before me kids where born and cannot see where they are worth the risk. I finally had a doc that was retiring that said most where not necessary. I think Polio was eradicated more by sanitation practices than the vaccine. You could get Polio at the local swimming pool. Once they started treating the water it became safe.

 

Do you not wear a seat belt and disable the air bags too? People get killed by both of those too, and I would wager at roughly the same rate, so they're really not worth the risk. 

[45guy]

Always were seat belts and would never consider disabling the air bags. I do not see the correlation with not taking flu shots that are someone's best guess. Getting the shot does not prevent me from getting the flu. I use more common since options like proper sanitation and taking vitamins. According to the CDC 5 to 20 % of the population get the flue each year. So I have a 80 to 95% chance of not getting the flu. I guess I have just been lucky so far.

Healthline.com list the following as some possible side effects of taking the flu shot. Pain at the injection site, aches and pains, headache,fever,runny nose and sore throat,severe allergic reactions and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Umm get the shot if you want, me I will go with what has worked for the last 53 years for me.

Found this on health central.

Q: How effective is this year's flu vaccine expected to be, in light of last year's less than stellar results?

A: The 2008-2009 flu protection is expected to be much better than last year's. Unfortunately, decisions have to be made on a very tight timeline about what strains of flu virus to include in the vaccine a year in advance of peak flu season, in order to allow time for vaccine manufacturers to make the vaccine. At best, experts have to make educated guesses about what strains of flu virus will be circulating in the coming year. Since a hallmark of flu viruses is their ability to change quickly, it's not an easy task. New strains crop up all the time.

It is great to live in a free country where we can each decide what we think is best for ourselves.

[mhmd]

Fortunately for us, they got it right this year. 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S1

[10-Ring]

I haven't taken the shot in years as I try to avoid putting anything unnatural in my body.  Personally I don't think it's a good idea for otherwise strong and healthy people to take the flu shot every year.  I'm not an expert on these things by any means, though I have done quite a bit of studying to determine whether I want my children vaccinated and whether I want to personally be vaccinated for certain things.  It seems tragic to hear about children in America dying because of a preventable disease. 

 

Because of the severity of the flu this year I have decided to go ahead and get vaccinated this year.  A lot of that has to do with my 4 year old daughter who has a compromised immune system.  I just can't risk catching it and passing it to her.  If it were just me I would probably pass.