In 1993 my employer demanded I get a flu shot. That year, my spouse and entire family were hit with a terrible flu which lasted, for some, 2 weeks. Thanks to the shot, I did not get the flu. Since then, I have gotten a shot every year and have not had the flu. That shot is a pretty good insurance policy.

Most people aren´t aware of this. No vaccine is perfect, especially flu vaccine. A lot of science goes into creating that vaccine each year and most times it´s very good. Many years ago I got infected with a true flu. Two weeks out of work and I questioned my survival. I get the flu vaccine every fall and have been fortunate not have contracted a flu illness since. It´s a smart thing to do, especially if you fall into one of the groups specifically encouraged to receive the vaccine.

The elderly have many other health problems which compromise their reaction to the flu virus. No flu prevention shots can be developed to protect from all flu viruses as they vary each season. I was a doubter but at 79 have never had a reaction to the shots I started taking or had the flu.

I have had a flu shot for years. The only time I got the flu, I was working in retail and interacting with lots of germy people (and their money). All the rest of the time, I have not gotten the flu. I´ll continue to get the shot (or jab in Britspeak), since I don´t want to EVER get the flu again. I don´t know when I have felt so sick.

However, there is also a new study out there that shows a huge decrease in cardiac death rates among those who got the flu shot the previous year. There are also great decreases in strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and deep vein thrombosis.

Interesting set of comments...all favorable towards the flu shot!

If you´ve had the flu, you know what "an explosive headache" is every time you cough for the next two weeks. Get the shots. They´re not perfect, but the flu IS a perfect storm in your life if you get it!

Depending on age, pneumonia and Shingles shots are also important.

Yet more "studies show" drivel about overstating the benefits of certain medical procedures from the crowd intent on rationing health care.

So "the government" and "scientists", to say nothing of the pharmaceutical companies and health providers who make money off the shots, have "over-hyped" flu shots?

How about the compliant media, who love any story they can fit under a scare head/lead-line? Why didn´t they ask any questions?

Isn´t it amazing now that liberals are in charge the elderly don´t need as much health protection. If a conservative was in office the headline would read" They are trying to kill off the elderly". All those who voted for these liberals I hope will not get the shot and also not get the other tests they say are not effective(mamagrams, prostate, etc)

Egggggzactly, #9, you nailed it!

I have not had a flu shot for years. I do not trust the vaccine, especially since they combined it with the H1N1 flu shot. Have you ever read the "ingredients" in the flu shot? An incredible cocktail of chemicals. Haven´t had the flu for decades.

Strange that every pharmacy in town offers flu shots now. Must be some profit in it.

59% is better than I would have guessed. For 20 bucks I´ll buy one at least as long as there´s a child in my house.

If you go read the studies and look at the statistics (I have), you will see that these scientists speak the truth. The estimates of annual flu deaths often used in reporting come from decades ago. There is no evidence that the rate of flu in the population has decreased at all since the flu shot became so widely disseminated via grocery stores and pharmacies over the last decade. No evidence of the rate of flu falling among pregnant woman and infants since they started advising shots for these populations. Plenty of situations where there were adverse reactions to the flu shot themselves - hardly surprising when you give it to infants with immature immune systems.

The flu shot´s effectiveness is around 59%. Keep in mind, a 50% rate would say that you may get it, and you have an equal chance that you may not got it, if you have the shot. So there is merely a 9% swing towards - "Here, try this, it ´may´ help." You will find a higher statistical chance of avoiding the flu by drinking orange juice, taking your vitamins, and washing your hands frequently. The rest of the world - quite rightly - thinks that we Americans are simply mad about our ´faith´ - and that is all it is - that modern medicine can jab us into health.

I now get the flu shot at work every year as I am a RN. I caught the true flu once 21 years ago just after my son was born. 103 fevers for 3-4 days straight, severe body aches and fatigue. The gartenherr was Active Duty Army back then and he had to take leave to take care of me and the kids as I could barely get out of bed. I´ve made sure I get a flu shot every year since then. Even if it´s not a perfect match, it´s still better than nothing

Let´s see. PSA tests? Skip them. Colonoscopies? Skip them. Mammograms? Skip them. Flu shots? Skip them.

Does anyone see a trend here which seems to emanate from those countries that have socialized medicine, the NHS, etc., and ours now that Obamacare is "the law of the land"?

I´ll take my flu shot, thank you very much.

My wife got the shot three years running. She also got the flu those three years. I never got the shot, and never got the flu. And that after coming in contact with kids at school for 25 years. Just saying.

The one year (2008) that I did´t get a flu shot, I did get the flu and I never want to go through that again!

In the early 90s, I got a horrible case of the flu and was sick as a dog for several weeks, then dragged around for several more months. I´ve had flu shots ever since.

I had the flu in 1988. After that, I´ve had the flu vaccine every year. I´ve never had it again. That´s a pretty good track record, in my book. I work in the health care industry, I´m exposed EVERY year, multiple times.

No treatment should be forced on anyone and any treatment that is certainly not harmful should never be denied to anyone. Any patient should have access to any treatment if they are first informed about it. Vaccinations contain adjutants and preservatives such as mercury that can cause serious damage. Vitamin D supplements would do more good for anyone who lives in the north than any jabs. It is dirt cheap and has no down side. I had a friend who was brought down with Guillian Barre Syndrome after his flu shot. Also there is a treatment promoted by Dr Rowen where 6 or 7 ounces of blood is drawn and irradiated with UVC light and reinfused into the same patient does wonders in stimulating the immune system. Closing question: Why do conservatives have so much trust in big government/establishment medicine for their health? There is a revolving door between the FDA and big pharma jobs. You don´t trust big government with your money why trust them with your health?

I´m with ya on the Shingles shot, #8. I never thought about it until I got them this year. Everyone told me I was lucky not to have the rash, but I´m here to tell the pain is horrible and I´ve been dealing with it since around July. Whether or not you get a flu shot do yourself a favor and get the one for Shingles.
Mrs. Cow

Tivadov...anecdoted play both ways without adding to science. In my case, my flu of 40 years ago was very debilitating, but no flu shot, and no flu, since.

Being of a certain age, I think I already have a moderate resistance to pretty much everything out there. I have never got the shots, and have not had a full-blown flu in at least 30 years. I do get some minor cold and cough now and again, and me and everyone at work got that nasty pneumatic one - ten years before it was included in the annual flu shot.

So I´m a bit skeptical that it has a lot of value for the older. Mebbe. Better yet, mebbe in a few years the technology will improve and they´ll find a generic flu shot that blocks the all. I might finally sign up for that one.

Every human is a unique universe of systems, so their reaction to inoculation will vary.
Personal medicine is around the corner, though. Once your personal system is understood, treatments should be much more effective.

If you want to get shot up with aluminum, formeldehyde and possibly some form of meningitis, go right ahead.