So, it’s flu season again, and who would want to get sick? Surely you are taking your vitamin C, bundling up in warm clothing and washing your hands regularly. But what is all this talk about getting vaccinated?
Flu Vaccine Image: Thomas Lohne, TheGuardian
There are many ‘myths’ surrounding the issue of flu vaccinations. Perhaps you have heard a few of these in the past few weeks. “Will I get the flu if I get the vaccination?”, “There’s no way it can’t be safe for children!”, “I got it once and I just don’t think it works.”
This video from youtube features CNN’s Piers Morgan getting the shot © 2013, CNN:
Myth #1: I will get sick if I get the flu shot.
This is not true. The flu vaccine is prepared using an inactivated form of the virus that is not capable of giving you flu like symptoms. People will mostly only experience a sore arm at the site of injection or maybe a little bit of redness. It is also possible to experience a minor head ache or muscle aches.
According to the CDC, when an experimental study was conducted and half the participants were given a salt-water shot and half were given the flu-shot, the only difference was the feeling of a sore arm or redness but there was no difference in symptoms of a cold or flu.
Myth #2: The flu shot isn’t safe for kids.
Kids are arguably the most prone to contracting illness, especially around cold and flu season. With everything that they touch and the number of other people they interact with each day in the school environment, surely every parent wants to keep them protected.
If you are someone who has kids or who works with kids, the best way to ensure that they don’t get sick is to get both them and yourself vaccinated. The CDC has specific recommendations for children and for those who are exposed to them and outlines such criteria, should you be interested.
Myth #3: The flu shot isn’t effective.
Some people claim that the flu shot must not work because they had the vaccination once and got sick anyways.
As an undergrad who’s taken a few microbiology courses, I know that the virus strain changes every year. I also know that it takes time for your body to build an immune response to a virus. This could mean two things- that someone didn’t get the vaccine for this season yet or that they got it too late in the season and contracted the flu anyways.
Hopefully I’ve helped you bust a few myths about the flu shot. Stay healthy, wash your hands and get vaccinated!
Blog post by: Nakisa Kiai
