Why Is the Influenza Vaccine Such a Sore Subject?

I get the flu shot every year. Is it a guaranteed that I won't get the flu? No but guess what? Haven't gotten the flu so I'm thinking its 100% for me. I had the flu many years ago its terrible. 60%? Yeah, I will take those odds every time.

Thank you for this post Hanover. Very interesting responses as well. I agree that this is NOT such a "cut and dry" decision...

MY point is that I'll take 60% (and in past years it HAS been better) over the 1918 flu scenario EVERY YEAR of my life. That IS herd immunity. It will never wipe out flu like small pox was wiped out. That's not the point. The vaccine taken by as many as can take it holds back the virus from becoming another 1918. It makes no sense to diss what we have when it protects a tremendous amount of people year after year. All I see this post of yours as accomplishing is to give more people a reason to not have the shot, thus making it worse for everyone.

Your question, by the way, was why the vaccine is a sore subject. My answer to you is my answer to your question.

Original:
Well, here's my view on this. So what if the vaccine is inadequate? It's the best we have. 60% is better than none. Usually, it's more like 75 to 80%. This year the flu strains are particularly bad and yes, theyhave morphed.

The people who are irritated by those who refuse the shot because it's "inadequate" are those who believe in the greater good and herd mentality, have had the flu or their family and friends have, or even worse, have someone close to them die because of it.

The people who dig their heels in the ground and refuse to get it believe the opposite - why should they do something that they disagree with? They believe that their feelings on the subject outweigh someone else getting sick because they didn't get a shot and came down with the flu and passed it along.

It's two different schools of thought - kind of like the polar opposites of politics. I've read a few posts on here where the posters say that they never got shots until they or their family members came down with it, and then they decided that even with the chance of getting the flu after being immunized, that from now on they will get the shot. I appreciate that. However, I appreciate a lot more when someone says that they get the shot in order to help the greater good - not just for themselves.

I guess you can tell what camp I'm in. I actually think the decision IS pretty cut and dry, quite frankly, and the fact that it takes 2 weeks to be effective doesn't matter. We have plenty of time to go get a shot. It's not like the flu season just sneaks up on us. That you consider this part of it to be a reason not to get a shot makes no sense to me.

If you really think that there's no herd immunity to flu, then perhaps it's because you really don't understand what the 1918 swine flu was. My mom told me that her grandmother talked about that time, saying that people dropped like flies. If YOU went through that in your life, over something like FLU, maybe you would understand why some people think that refusing to look at herd mentality is a selfish thing.

That is why the flu vaccine is a sore subject.

Dawn

People tend to get sore when they think others are telling them what they should or should not do, on either side of the issue. Pro-vaccine folks argue the benefits to individuals, families, and society. Anti-vaccine folks argue the side effects and/or incomplete protection. Both often imply the other side's misinformed at best, or plotting evil at worst. (I'm glad you're not doing that.) But mostly, we're just all making the best choices we can with the information we have.

My daughter called me from Boston this morning. She's on a business trip, and deeply regretting that she never got around to getting a shot this year, because she's so sick with flu she can hardly get up to take care of basic needs. And the best friend of a woman in my church died suddenly last week after coming down with a severe case. The risks are real.

Since the vaccine will protect 40% (or often more) of those who get the shot, that's a paltry 400,000 PER MILLION of your fellow citizens who will either not get sick, or may get a milder form of the illness.

And of course some people will react strongly to any medication, and should certainly avoid it when they learn it's a problem. That doesn't mean the vaccine isn't of real benefit to others.

I didn't read any of the answers you received, but I just wanted to say I think your post is awesome. This issue is not black and white or right or wrong. I do think a lot of people are uninformed or misinformed about vaccines in general. I also think there is a lot of provaccine propaganda that makes people so adamant about pushing it on people. I wanted to add one more thing to your thoughts. I work in medical communications and many of my clients are pharmaceutical companies. People need to be aware that the bottom line is that these companies want to make money and they also pay doctors to educate other health care professionals about vaccines. It is big business, and although I don't think this means that all vaccines are ineffective should not be used, I do think it is something to keep in mind when deciding what is right for you and your family.

If I had a 60% chance of winning the lottery, I sure would be buying a bunch of tickets!

No kidding . . . wait until you've spent 6 years trying to bring your kid back from numerous health issues that I believe were caused, at least in part, to the most aggressive vaccination schedule in the modern world.

Yes let me run out for that flu vaccine for my child who cannot consume eggs or chicken. I wish autoimmune disease did not run rampant in my family and I could risk GBS and heaven knows what else.

Ugh I wish I could believe that it was all OK. I wish it was that cut and dried.

Thank you for this!

I love people who write about herd immunity (Leigh and Dawn) who clearly don't understand what it actually means. If you want to understand what this means, this link explains it pretty simply - you either have a high enough usage and efficacy rate to achieve herd immunity or you don't - 60% is nowhere near that threshold:

http://science-at-home.org/how-herd-immunity-works/

If one feels like the flu vaccine is safe and beneficial, go for it. The rest of us who feel like this is a poorly done marketing ploy for the manufacturers to make a killing in sales with no concerns for efficacy, cost vs. benefit or the actual risks will continue to opt out. There are lots and lots and lots of reasons for people to question vaccines, particularly one that is as poorly researched and ineffective as the flu vaccine that is so ridiculously and aggressively marketed.

ETA: Saw this today and thought it was interesting -

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/reassessing-flu-...

I'm 46 years old and prior to a month ago I had never had the flu shot and never had the flu. I'm in laboratory sales calling on hospitals and physician offices and a new client of mine (over 40 hospitals in CA, NV and AZ) requires this (and a ton of other immunizations/tests as well) in order to be an approved vendor. I rather resent being held hostage by a client but I need to promote our pathologists and biopsy testing.

I don't know why people get so angry. I'm not anti-vaccine. My daughter has received all her vaccines, with the exception of the flu shot. My husband and I don't receive one either. The last one I got was about ten years ago, and of course, I got the flu that year too (which I KNOW was not caused by the vaccine).

My take on this is a little different from most. My daughter spent almost the first two years of her life in institutionalized care. The day we met her, she was handed to us in the filthiest shoes I've ever seen. With all certainty her mother never received any prenatal care and based on her size and other information, she was most likely born quite prematurely. In seven years, she has taken prescription medication once, for a case of scarlet fever. And even then her only symptom was the rash and the dr. ran the test as a precaution. He was shocked that it was positive.

I'm not a scientist, but I believe my daughter is never sick because she was exposed to so many germs so early in her life. So I've become the anti-germaphobe. Unless we are having company, we don't use disinfecting wipes or antibacterial anything. Soap, water and vinegar are just fine. We don't avoid situations because someone might be sick, don't carry around hand sanitizer, etc. So far, this is working for us. My husband has missed a half-day of work in 14 years. I last missed work about five years ago with strep. I think everyone needs to find what works for their family. The flu is hitting hard in our area right now so we'll see what happens over the next couple weeks, but as of now, we have no plans to get the vaccine.

I will never forget the look my doctor gave me when I was pregnant and told her that I would not be getting the flu vaccine. She still tries to convince me every year and is still just as shocked when I say no.

I have my reasons for not wanting it just as other people have their reasons for wanting it. We each get to make our own choices.

I agree with Dawn completely.

And it's interesting that you refer to the vaccine having "such a high failure rate." Why is a 60 percent rate of successful coverage a "failure"? Sure, 100 percent would be better, but considering that flu can be deadly, why not take that 60 percent?

Dawn is right: Those of us who get irked with those who badmouth the vaccine are interested in herd immunity. Even if that immunity is imperfect. You seem to imply that since it's imperfect -- why bother?

I especially get irked with those who claim the vaccine causes the flu. That is a myth. If you get sick after getting the vaccine you were exposed before getting it or in the two-week window when it's taking full effect. People who say "I got it and the next day/week I came down with the flu!" don't care to understand how the flu, or the vaccine, work. (And the person who said she vomited for three days -- well, you had a stomach virus, which is not influenza at all. A lot of people assume "the flu" includes stomach viruses. It doesn't. But that feeds into the myth that the vaccine is useless -- "It didnt' stop my stomach 'flu'!")

And yes, you can get flu after being vaccinated, but even if you get a strain not covered in the shot, having had the shot can reduce the severity of what you do get. I know this from experience and doctors will tell you the same.

This flu season has begun an month earlier than usual, earlier than any time in the past decade. All 50 states have reported flu by now -- very unusual this early in the flu season. This is going to be widespread. For many of us it will be unpleasant at most, but since it can be severe or fatal for some groups -- why not protect others if you're not willing to protect yourself, and just get the shot for the sake of those around you? Why not take the 60 percent protection?

It's like dowsing rods!

The flu has hit my area.
Not fans of the flu shot here.
Might get it if I ( or O. of us here falls into a high risk group), but for now? Nah.

I don't know about its effectiveness but when I did have flu a decade ago, I spent two weeks shaking, vomiting, turning blue. I truly thought I was going to die. I would stand up and fall over. I have not missed a shot in a long time, now. I heard the season will be bad this year, so I hope that's not the case, but who knows!

I don't do the flu shot. Why? because it only covers MAYBE 4 viruses. It doesn't keep you from getting it. I personally don't feel it's effective enough to get.

I would rather be proactive - eat right, drink plenty of water, wash my hands and keep door knobs and handles clean. Is it perfect? Nope.

Have I done the flu shot in the past? Yes. And it sucked. I got sicker than a dog and sent to the ER for dehydration as I spent 3 days vomiting my guts out. That was maybe 10 years ago and don't want to go through that again.

If you want to get it - go for it. I am not going to stop you. I don't want to be forced to get it.

I think of it this way. It's better to try to immunize yourself and your children to the flu virus, rather than not try. Okay, 60% isn't 100%, but it's a heck of a lot better than 0%. Yes, it takes 2 weeks. Your body has to build antibodies. That's not instantaneous. But 2 weeks is better than never. Yeah, it's possible I could still get the flu. I will probably live; I'm an adult in the prime of my life. But I couldn't live with myself if I didn't get vaccinated, came down with the flu, and passed it on to my cousin's newborn baby boy. He could very likely die from it. Why would he have died? Because I couldn't be bothered to vaccinate myself? Now, even though I'm vaccinated, it's still possible I could get the flu and pass it on to him, but the odds are against it (because a 60% chance of not getting the flu is much better than a 0% chance). I make sure my family is vaccinated every year not just for us, but for people like my newborn cousin, or for that lady's baby in the grocery store, or the little old lady at the park. It's the right thing to do. We can think of all kinds of ways to justify inaction, but that doesn't make it the right thing to do.

I wish there wasn't supply issues with Tamiflu. I don't get the flu shot either but I would take the drug to lesson the effects of the flu if I happen to come down with it.

I think you've raised some good points and questions.

A healthy, athletic, 14 year-old girl just died from influenza here in Minnesota. My daughter will be getting her flu shot this week.

I don't think most people are aware of the percentages. They don't tell you that at the doctors~ I have never been unaccepting of a person who didn't vax or anything. I fully support every person having the right to make an informed decision for themselves. I see both sides of the issue. But it would be better if the doctors, nurses etc. made the patients aware of the risks etc.

I am anti-vaccine or at the very least delayed vaccine. However I do get my entire family the flu vaccine every year. Why you ask, would an anti-vaccine or delayed vac person get her family this horrible vaccine? well the answer I can give is personal experience. My daughter almost died from the flu in March '08. I had a 3 month old baby and got sick with it as well, but my 2 year old daughter spent two weeks in the hospital barely conscience. And here i was sick also trying to take care of my son who was only 3 months. since then we have gotten our flu shots. More experience if you don't get them early enough they can't help. The year of H1N1 we got the vaccine in late Oct as soon as we could, but it was too late for my daughter, she had already been exposed and landed in the hospital again, my son got a milder case as he was exposed from her and had a few more days to build up antibodies(she was exposed at preschool). I will continue to vaccinate my children with the poisonous flu vaccine, despite any risks it may entail as the alternative could be death and I have seen that almost happen twice. So that is the best answer I can give why I personally choose to vaccinate every year for the flu. Most people who claim to have had the flu and claim they only were down for a day didn't have the real flu, they had a bad, bad virus, but not the flu. It knocks a healthy person down for days, unable to do anything but wish they could disappear and watching your child experience that is even worse. Having those experiences really changed my views on vaccines. I was completely anti-vaccine before that first year, my daughter had not had any vaccinations yet at age 2 and neither had my son who was only a few months old. After that first experience I did more research and became delayed vac. My kids got one vaccine a year in addition to the flu shot spaced 6 months from the flu shot and they are still behind and didn't need a lot that are only necessary under age 2, but I will forever vaccinate every child of mine for flu, every single year. So that didn't answer your question of why people get upset or angry, mostly because I have no idea. I have my own experiences and personal research and opinions that I base my decisions on and I assume everyone else does too. I do take other peoples experiences into consideration in my decision making, but I don't make a decision based on someones say so. I get as much knowledge as I can i take my own experiences and consider other people as well and i make the best decision I can. As i guess we all do. And peoples choices can and do sometimes change over time. I agee we can be nicer about it all!