So we all know that the Flu sucks...bad. But for some reason, most people have extreme points of view about the flu vaccination--we either swear by it or swear against it. I'm one of those people that swears by it (probably because I studied epidemiology and public health.)
So peeps...let's get real. Why are people so against the flu shot? Okay, I get it, It's a needle. Waaaaaaa (that's a whiny baby sound). Just close your eyes. Don't look at it. Simple. Done. Don't be skeered!
I'd say the most common response I get when I ask someone if they got the flu shot is:
"I don't get the flu shot because I always get the flu anyway,"
or even better, "the flu shot makes me sick."
For the first one, I'm calling a B.S.
First, when was the last time you actually got a flu shot? If you only took the flu shot once in your life and happened to get the flu last year, all I can say is you need better luck. You didn't get one of the strains covered in the vaccination. You most likely and unfortunately got one of the new morphed strains or you just had a really bad cold.
For the second one, false. That's impossible. This is why:
- The flu shot is a vaccine that is inactivated, aka dead. murdered. killed. A dead virus is not in it's disease-causing state; and even better, they can't go back to the disease-causing state. Even though the virus is dead, your body recognizes the intruder and stimulates an immune response. The immune response makes it so you can't be infected by a live version of this agent if you are exposed later...because the body is smart...really smart.
- Keep in mind there are different doses of the shot for different categories of people. For more information on that, visit the CDC website. (p.s. I am citing my brain for the above information because that's where it came from.)
- The other type of flu vaccine is the nasal-spray one. Now, this one is the live, attenuated vaccine meaning it is still alive but it is weakened in the lab. This one you snort up through your nose like a little piggy. (p.s. how adorable are mini pigs?) The virus is so weakened that it can't make you sick. But what it does do is stimulate that immune response and antibody production so that you are protected against the normal, strong version of the bug. Another cool thing about this one--it typically can provide lifelong immunity after a few doses. Pretty nifty.
The flu vaccine includes vaccinations for the 3 types of influenza: two type As and 1 type B. But the real problem with the flu vaccine is that the flu virus is really smart--there are so many different strains of each type because the virus mutates. It knows that we keep making these vaccines, and it keeps mutating itself into brand new strains (that's a lie...it doesn't have a brain so it doesn't "know" anything...why I felt the need to explain that? no clue.). When we find a new strain, we can make a vaccine. However, if people continue to not get the flu shot, and still get one of the old strains, that's just 'fluing' the fire (get it? fluing...fueling...okay, so that didn't work. I'm keeping it anyway).
- Side note: This one is reserved for healthy people.
People...people...people. They are giving it out for free now because the epidemic is getting so bad. It's just a little needle. Getting a tiny little prick is worth it if there is even the slightest chance that you will be exposed to one of those strains. Because this is what we, as American adults, do:
We get sick, and we go to work anyway because we "have" to.
We get sick, and we still go out with our friends.
We get sick, and we still shake hands.
We get sick, and we still drink after each other.
We get sick, and we still sneeze so quickly that our arms can't get to our face on time.
Key phrase here: WE GET SICK! It happens. Germs are going to spread no matter what. So why don't we take a few minutes out of 1 day a year and endure a little prick to help control it a little bit?
Please go get the flu shot...
That is all.
This PSA was brought to you by your resident public health professional...Tiny Danster.
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