Why rely on this article? If you have ever had the flu, do you want another round of it?
Get the shot. Keep the Kleenex for your allergies.
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The vast majority of people that die of flu are children. Don’t let this happen to yours. Get them vaccinated.
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How hard is it to determine the Aussie strains, as a start? Then we at least know if our shots match what’s currently prevalent, and recheck as it mutates.
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“It’s too early to tell for sure, because sometimes Australia is predictive and sometimes it’s not,” said Dr. Daniel B. Jernigan.
If something is predictable and sometimes it’s not, it’s fundamentally NOT predictable.
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A timely reminder. Thank you.
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I had never had a flu shot prior to 2017. Then I got the flu. And it turned to pneumonia. First, I thought I was going to die. Then, I wished that I would just die. Most horrible illness I ever had and it took months for me to fully recover. I'll never go without a flu shot again.
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Vaccination, like much of medical care, is a privilege, not an onerous task. I don't own an iphone, nor a TV, but I get each and every vaccination available to me and I meticulously update vaccinations. I have my vaccination booklets marked with the years in which any given vaccination needs to be updated. There is little in the realm of prevention I value as much as vaccinations. Not using vaccination that is available is like returning to the early 19th century medical standards. Ridiculous. So what is more important: owning an Iphone or health?
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@Lala
The way that various health applications are being developed that are health related, you may need both in the future.
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Why does flu need to be fought with vaccinations? I (like a good many others) hate needle injections and would love an oral dose alternative. If anyone in the medical community can shed some light on this, and any possible options available, I'd be most grateful.
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@Steve I always liked the FluMist, but no one offers it now because it apparently doesn't work as well. I never had the flu in the years I used it, however.
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@Steve : I googled a bit and found no info, but I suspect that digestive acids, and perhaps other substances,
--- might destroy the immunizing agents;
--- might render the vaccine less effective because of digestive variations among humans; and
--- might prompt some people to regurgitate it, rendering the vaccine ineffective and leading to a lot of wasted meds / effort / money.
I would think that an oral dose would be offered if it were at all feasible, given that some people's dislike of needles prompts them to avoid the shot.
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79,000 people died in the US of the flu last year or in the northern hemisphere all together?
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One point not mentioned is that in Australia, only health care workers and those with chronic illnesses get the flu vaccine. There is no major effort to get a majority of residents vaccinated against infuenza as we do here in the US. So, if there is more flu in Oz, it is likely due to the fact that few are getting their "jabs" to use the local vernacular.
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@SAMRNinNYC
Perhaps a clarification is in order here. Flu shots for high risk people are paid for by the government. Flu shots are recommended for just about everyone else that our CDC recommends get vaccinated.
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@SAMRNinNYC You are incorrect, sorry. All over 65s get free vaccinations as do Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islanders and those with certain medical conditions etc. Plus there is a huge public appeal, not “no major effort” as you attest. Australia is well known for the effectiveness of its public health campaigns, though the skepticism re vaccinations among some groups, as in many other countries, is a problem.
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