My roommates are probably going to hate me because I've talked about vaccinations and the flu ever since my professor lectured on it in my 3 hour PH510 Essentials in Public Health class and this article will detail exactly that.
For some people, the flu shot is something they can't get every year because they're allergic to eggs or for a religious reason. That doesn't excuse the general population because everyone should get the flu shot.
There are tons of common misconceptions about getting the flu shot, one of them is that people believe they get sick after they get it. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is true that the flu shot is made using different strains of the flu virus, which vaccine manufacturers inject into chicken eggs allowing the virus to cultivate. After the eggs hang out with the virus for a while, the fluids are dumped out and the scientist injects the egg with the proper drug that will kill the virus - since they know exactly what virus they are handling. This then creates the vaccine you have injected into your body. So it is true that you are being introduced to the virus...but not true that you're going to get sick from it. The virus is disabled, allowing your body to begin to build up an immunity to it. Since it takes a little while for your body to build up enough antibodies to fight off an infection, it is possible you can get sick during the period after your flu shot. If you only skimmed over this paragraph, please watch this video and get informed.
Not believing in the flu shot or thinking that you'll never get the flu is, honestly, wrong. The influenza virus can be carried in your body for up to 4 days, without you ever showing symptoms. Anything you touch could infect another person. Think about the most vulnerable people: elderly and babies. Babies can't get the flu shot until they're 6 months old. Most babies can't fight off the simplest infection, so how are they going to fair against one of the nastiest infectious disease that kills up to 49,000 people in the US each year??
Get your flu shot. It takes 20 minutes after walking into CVS and you get a 20% off coupon for anything in the store. It's so simple and can save both your life and someone else's life.
