Flu Vaccination - fill me in

Hanley

Guys,

Got offered free flu vaccination from work this year, and just weighing up whether or not to take it.

I don't know much about it, but I know there's going to be positives and negatives - so does anyone have any exp. or able to point me to a good resource to learn more about it??

I don't even know if there's multiple types, but this one is being offered in partnership w/ Boots if it makes a difference!

Thaaaaaaaanks!

rubadub

Do you get flu often (the REAL flu)? I don't so I don't bother with the vaccine, we used to get it offered free in work.

You always hear people complaining that they got the vaccine and complaining that they "still got the flu", when in reality they are saying this with a very slight sniffle, i.e. they got a slight cold, nothing close to the flu. The vaccine does not protect against the common cold.

To stop getting sick in the colder months I eat more and for my tonsillitis I drink/sip beer (seriously, haven't had it in years).

If you do bulking & cutting it might be an idea to time the bulk for the colder months.

(I have no idea of the negatives of taking it BTW)

Brian?

Hanley wrote: »

Guys,

Got offered free flu vaccination from work this year, and just weighing up whether or not to take it.

I don't know much about it, but I know there's going to be positives and negatives - so does anyone have any exp. or able to point me to a good resource to learn more about it??

I don't even know if there's multiple types, but this one is being offered in partnership w/ Boots if it makes a difference!

Thaaaaaaaanks!

My good lady wife gets it every year because she's asthmatic. Never had any side effects.

A friend of mine with a PHd in chemistry tells me that most of the negative side effects that scare mongered are not worth worrying about. Statistically a healthy adult is far more likely to die from the flu than have a negative reaction from a flu vaccination.

I'm being offered it for free this year as well and will be taking it up.

As for the multiple types, I thought the vaccination was based on the most common strain of the influenza virus that appeared this year. So unless there is an outbreak of swine or avian flu again there should be only one type.

Brian?

rubadub wrote: »

Do you get flu often (the REAL flu)? I don't so I don't bother with the vaccine, we used to get it offered free in work.

You always hear people complaining that they got the vaccine and complaining that they "still got the flu", when in reality they are saying this with a very slight sniffle, i.e. they got a slight cold, nothing close to the flu. The vaccine does not protect against the common cold.
)

Very true. The "flu" most people get is nothing to do with influenza. It's more likely a cold virus. Actually getting the flu means complete and total incapacitation.

No harm in being immunised againest influenza though.

Dathai

I got it about 2 years ago in work. I got some slight symptoms of the flu late that afternoon. When I got home from work I went up to bed and completely froze. Full on symptoms for about 4 days. Same with most people in work, dying for days.

I don't usually get the flu, but I get awful throat infections and colds so I figured I may as well get the vaccine since it's free. I'll never get the vaccine again.

Couldn't really point you in the direction of learning more about it. I'd say ask your HR rep or whoever is organising it and they should be giving out details about the vaccines. If they don't have any info on it, I'd steer clear.

Hanley

Ok sweet, thanks guys. I think I've heard everything I need to at this stage.

I think I've got the real flu 1x in 25 years - I was just thinking that if it was free with no side effects it'd' be worth it, but I can't justify the risk now!

g'em

iirc - and I do stand to be corrected on this as I haven't looked into it properly in a while - the flu vaccine is so varied on a year-to-year basis that you can never really gauge what the side effects will be. Each year the WHO/ CDC/ various Worldwide National Disease Centres do a guesstimate as to which flu strain will be most prevalent and the vaccine is modified accordingly. This is the information sheet from the CDC about this years' strains and vaccines. Like rubabdub said the REAL flu is a million miles away from the sever head cold/ man-flu that the majority of people complain about. If you have real flu you'll know all about it, and you'll most likely end up in hospital with it.

The vaccinations are generally an inactivated (dead) form of the virus so any reactions to it are most likely allergic reactions to the vaccine and not an actual dose of flu itself.

If you're an otherwise healthy young individual there's no major need to get a vaccine, but if it's being offered free, then sure, go ahead. Although there's no guarantees it would actually protect you from the flu, it would greatly reduce your risk of being in danger from it.

On a related note, go see Contagion. You'll be first in the queue for vaccination after it

Dathai

g'em wrote: »

On a related note, go see Contagion. You'll be first in the queue for vaccination after it

Make sure you sneeze half way through, you'll never freak so many people out at the same time ever again.

hooplah

Getting the vaccine severly reduces your ability to ring in sick saying you have the flu when you just want a day off.

I guess this is why employers pay for it.

g'em

Dathai wrote: »

Make sure you sneeze half way through, you'll never freak so many people out at the same time ever again.

Loved the bit when they showed Dublin on the Pandemic map, cue loads of "ooooh it's here!1!!" whispers from the audience :pac: It was a very scientifically accurate movie though tbh, I was seriously impressed, going to show it to my own class as a teaching tool later this year.

That and it'll save me having to write notes for a day...

opinion guy

Dathai wrote: »

Make sure you sneeze half way through, you'll never freak so many people out at the same time ever again.

g'em wrote: »

Loved the bit when they showed Dublin on the Pandemic map, cue loads of "ooooh it's here!1!!" whispers from the audience :pac: It was a very scientifically accurate movie though tbh, I was seriously impressed, going to show it to my own class as a teaching tool later this year.

That and it'll save me having to write notes for a day...

Awesome is it still in the cinema ? I get fantatically explosive sneezes - often in fits for reasons unknown. I'll go see it wait till just after the Dublin part and then see if I can't make myself sneeze somehow

g'em

only opened on Friday so it'll be out for a good while yet

Leopold of Ballina

For your information, this years flu vaccine, for the first time, includes a swine flu vaccination.

In the USA the centre for disease control recommends the vaccination for everybody over six months old.