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Child Item

Have you gotten the flu vaccine?

route9

Note - not talking about the sniffles or a cold, but a proper flu that lasts for weeks!

Just interested especially with all the talk in the news. I work a desk job in an air-conditioned office, I work out regularly and diet is fairly average (it's going to be better from this month!), but each year over the past couple of years I think I've gotten the flu twice. I am not sure if this is a very frequent amount of times to get it...

So have you gotten the jab? The question and poll only applies to those NOT in the at-risk group..

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ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'm always bemused when people say they are 'coming down with the flu'. When flu hits it hits suddenly. If it's coming on you, it's almost certainly a cold.

Maximus Alexander

mcgiggles wrote: »

I am lucky enough never *touch wood* to have gotten the flu. Few sniffles/ headcolds/ sinus infections but never the flu. I don't get the vaccine, there are new strains of flu coming about all the time, you can't vaccinate against them all, so if you are at risk chances are you may still get it, all the vaccine can do is protect you from previous strains of flu.

They make a new vaccine a couple of times a year and it's generally pretty effective. The flu changes quickly but it can protect you for a flu season. The more people who get the vaccine, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

mcgiggles

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

They make a new vaccine a couple of times a year and it's generally pretty effective. The flu changes quickly but it can protect you for a flu season. The more people who get the vaccine, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

Actually didn't know that! For some reason I assumed there was one a year!

Glenster

Me to nurse "should I get the jab?"

Nurse "Cant hurt"

Me "OK then, go for it"

Thinking about it more than that seems like a waste of time.

RobertKK

I had to work with the flu the last time I had it as everyone else that could have helped also had it.
It was to feed cattle. Just kept them fed as I kept myself alive.
Had milking cows start to calve too, and I had to leave the calves on them while I recovered as I had no energy to do anything else.
It was the biggest struggle ever but had to be done. Mind over matter but you would want to do nothing but lie down and not move.
The simplest thing is exhausting when you have it.

RayM

ScumLord wrote: »

Back in the day you literally had to be dead before they let you off from school.

And even then, your parents would drag your corpse in. And then you'd get detention for not doing PE. Try telling that to today's kids, and they wouldn't believe you.

northernpower

Glenster wrote: »

Me to nurse "should I get the jab?"

Nurse "Cant hurt"

Me "OK then, go for it"

Thinking about it more than that seems like a waste of time.

You should tell that to the nurses - <20% have taken the flu vaccination this year according to Simon Harris' sources. Shameful

[Deleted User]

I got one a few months ago and got another a few weeks ago since there's a second round of 'flu going round.

fixXxer

northernpower wrote: »

You should tell that to the nurses - <20% have taken the flu vaccination this year according to Simon Harris' sources. Shameful

What's the source on that stat?

RobertKK

At O'Hare airport last October they were administering the flu vaccine to those who wanted it for $30.

northernpower

fixxxer wrote: »

What's the source on that stat?

Simon Harris this morning on Newstalk

Glenster

northernpower wrote: »

You should tell that to the nurses - <20% have taken the flu vaccination this year according to Simon Harris' sources. Shameful

I haven't seen those statistics, sounds like boll0x to me.

I know that in 2015 over 85% of the nurses in England got the flu vaccine.

sitstill

I'm a teacher and I get the flu vaccination every year because I always feel that there's a big chance of getting flu in school. I did still get quite a bad flu last Christmas but aside from that, I think the vaccination has worked for me and I'd recommend it.

Glenster

northernpower wrote: »

You should tell that to the nurses - <20% have taken the flu vaccination this year according to Simon Harris' sources. Shameful

Wait, this year, as in the last 4 days?

fixXxer

northernpower wrote: »

Simon Harris this morning on Newstalk

Yes but did he say where he got it from? I work in a hospital and the uptake from staff is usually extremely high, so a figure of <20% amazes me.

blue note

I had the flu twice - about 10 years ago and once about 5 years before that. It's a truly nasty things to have. The amount of people who have the flu but battles through it is just like the people who battle through migraines when some lesser people take a day or two off for them. The implication being that they're tough for battling through when other people are lazy and would use any excuse to take a day off work.

I haven't been properly sick since that flu back in 2007, just a few coughs, colds and tummy bugs since. And I also used to get very bad migraines when I was growing up but thankfully I grew out of them. Now I often get little migraines - same symptoms but mild enough that you can plough through it. But they're in no way proper migraines - one of those and there's zero chance you're working for at least a day.

Oh, and I've gotten the jab for the last few years. Don't have a reason not to. My girlfriends had sniffles after it for a day. I thought that type of thing was very rare, but it was hard not to link the two.

northernpower

fixxxer wrote: »

Yes but did he say where he got it from? I work in a hospital and the uptake from staff is usually extremely high, so a figure of <20% amazes me.

I'm in the hospital too, a presentation from occupational health at the start of the flu season when vaccinations were being rolled out for staff had figures on last years uptake in this particular Dublin hospital, can't remember the numbers but in terms of uptake it was Doctors > Health care assistants > nurses.

So uptake from staff may be high overall but it may mask areas where uptake is lower than it should be, for example among nurses. Now without wanting to derail this thread any further I think unless there's a genuine reason a health care worker can't take a vaccination there should be questions asked, especially when it's offered free in the work place and can be done while on shift.

Tom Mann Centuria

northernpower wrote: »

I'm in the hospital too, a presentation from occupational health at the start of the flu season when vaccinations were being rolled out for staff had figures on last years uptake in this particular Dublin hospital, can't remember the numbers but in terms of uptake it was Doctors > Health care assistants > nurses.

So uptake from staff may be high overall but it may mask areas where uptake is lower than it should be, for example among nurses. Now without wanting to derail this thread any further I think unless there's a genuine reason a health care worker can't take a vaccination there should be questions asked, especially when it's offered free in the work place and can be done while on shift.

So no evidence then. Presume you want enforced vaccination? Would be hard/impossible to enforce.

fixXxer

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

So no evidence then. Presume you want enforced vaccination? Would be hard/impossible to enforce.

Occupational Health get you to fill out a form when you get your vaccine so I assume their numbers would be very solid on who has and hasn't gotten the jab.

Enforced vaccination should definitely be an option. There's little to no reason not to get it.

blue note

I think incentivised vaccination in General is a good idea. For the nurses who are offered it for free you could not pay them sick pay if they get the flu and haven't been vaccinated. I guarantee you they'd all get it then. And you'd lose less of them to sickness. Sorry to be harsh, but if they don't believe in the vaccine they don't really believe in modern medicine so shouldn't be working in it. If they have a genuine reason then fair enough.

sullivlo

I usually do get the flu vaccine (I have asthma) however when I was scheduled to get it I had the sniffles so I wasn't able to get it. I'll likely get it the next time I go to my GP, if possible.

I have had the flu twice. Once resulting in hospitalisation.

Anyone who says "I have the flu" whilst sitting at their desk, or sitting on their couch, or even lying in their bed whilst watching TV, has a cold. The last time I had the flu I couldn't even get out of bed to puke. It's the most horrific thing.

I frequently get bad colds and chest infections that result in steroids, asthma tablets and sometimes antibiotics. I have had pneumonia and pleurisy (twice) but nothing compares to the sheer awfulness of the flu.

sullivlo

fixxxer wrote: »

Occupational Health get you to fill out a form when you get your vaccine so I assume their numbers would be very solid on who has and hasn't gotten the jab.

Enforced vaccination should definitely be an option. There's little to no reason not to get it.

Unless there are medical reasons which exempt you from being vaccinated, such as those who are immunocompromised.

fixXxer

blue note wrote: »

I think incentivised vaccination in General is a good idea. For the nurses who are offered it for free you could not pay them sick pay if they get the flu and haven't been vaccinated. I guarantee you they'd all get it then. And you'd lose less of them to sickness. Sorry to be harsh, but if they don't believe in the vaccine they don't really believe in modern medicine so shouldn't be working in it. If they have a genuine reason then fair enough.

The Flu vaccine isn't a magic bullet though. Its an educated guess against the strains that are thought to be most likely to be around at a certain point in time.

northernpower

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

So no evidence then. Presume you want enforced vaccination? Would be hard/impossible to enforce.

Evidence? I could maybe get you the newstalk player link from this mornings show where Simon Harris quoted his sources.

Enforce is an emotive term and I think you're using it intentionally. I didn't say I'd enforce anyone to be vaccinated, but I do think unless there's a reason why someone who has contact with the sickest and most vulnerable in society does not take precautions to protect those people, then yes, questions should be asked.

I'm required to get whatever vaccinations for common communicable diseases are available before I can be allowed on a ward. In some hospitals I'm screened for HIV, TB and MRSA and my rubella and measles titres are assessed before I'm allowed on a ward. These are precautions to stop disease spread. The annual flu vaccination seems to be the one which has a large amount of autonomy and personal preference attached to it, I don't see it as any different from any of the other measures taken to prevent disease spread.

blue note

If they get the vaccine and still get the flu then that's fair enough. But if they bother to take reasonable free precautions against getting it then they should be held accountable.

coffeyt

I find some people cope with it better than others so those who say you can't get the real flu and possibly keep going haven't been in situation where you have to keep going. I along with my husband and two children had the flu last year and I had no choice but to look after us all, my husband couldn't even stand up!! I know it was the flu as my youngest was only three months so we brought her to doctor who sent us all to a & e to be safe. They took swabs and confirmed the following day it was full blown flu so I'm 100% that is what we had.

astrofool

blue note wrote: »

I think incentivised vaccination in General is a good idea. For the nurses who are offered it for free you could not pay them sick pay if they get the flu and haven't been vaccinated. I guarantee you they'd all get it then. And you'd lose less of them to sickness. Sorry to be harsh, but if they don't believe in the vaccine they don't really believe in modern medicine so shouldn't be working in it. If they have a genuine reason then fair enough.

I remember a story in France of a nurse falsifying vaccine information so she could avoid getting any of them.

Got it every year for the last 10 years myself, never had the flu, also understand how it works, and I could get a flu that isn't covered by the vaccine I got.

Wibbs

sullivlo wrote: »

Anyone who says "I have the flu" whilst sitting at their desk, or sitting on their couch, or even lying in their bed whilst watching TV, has a cold.

Nope, sorry, that's a nonsense. People differ in their experience and ability to continue to function when infected. Basic biology of disease. I've worked through various flus. At least I was able to somewhat function depending on the strain involved(the Swine flu was a thundering cúnt of a dose mind you). I was certainly able to watch TV and out of bed with it, even with the Piggy Pox. People differ and some are stronger/weaker/whatever*. Hell enough people survived the Bubonic Plague and did so before antibiotics. Otherwise we wouldn't be here.

*TBH because I have a deviated septum in the nose I often find a common head cold more of a misery. I barely sleep while one's on the go for a start.

The Backwards Man

It's a pity nobody can come up with a hardasses on the internet jab. :P

Tom Mann Centuria

northernpower wrote: »

Evidence? I could maybe get you the newstalk player link from this mornings show where Simon Harris quoted his sources.

Enforce is an emotive term and I think you're using it intentionally. I didn't say I'd enforce anyone to be vaccinated, but I do think unless there's a reason why someone who has contact with the sickest and most vulnerable in society does not take precautions to protect those people, then yes, questions should be asked.

I'm required to get whatever vaccinations for common communicable diseases are available before I can be allowed on a ward. In some hospitals I'm screened for HIV, TB and MRSA and my rubella and measles titres are assessed before I'm allowed on a ward. These are precautions to stop disease spread. The annual flu vaccination seems to be the one which has a large amount of autonomy and personal preference attached to it, I don't see it as any different from any of the other measures taken to prevent disease spread.

Enforce may be emotive but you're dancing round the word. Yours is a reasonable point of view, but if the language of enforcement is off putting to you, surely you can see the issue you would have trying to explain this idea. Right or wrong, the HSE will not do this any time soon, they have enough strife with retention of staff as it is. Recruitment fairs where they expect hundreds of nurses returning home, and get low twenties attending, they can't afford to alienate their existing staff more than they have.

Incidentally I think nurses should be screened for MRSA but my belief is the HSE are terrified of just how many nurses would come back positive and it's bye bye workforce for several weeks.