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Is Flu shot for me?

why do I need flu vaccine?

By familydocPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
1
why flu vaccine?

First let me start off with what is flu.. people are confused quite a bit from the start..

It is not the "common cold" caused by adeno virus or the rhino virus and it is not the stomach upset -/gastro enteritis caused by entero viruses (people call it the stomach flu)

It is caused by Influenza virus A and B and the different strains of it.

Getting a flu vaccine is to develop antibodies to the strains of the influenza virus that are likely to cause flu , helps to get the immunity to fight it if you get exposed to it.

How do they make flu vaccine? How can I be sure its not harmful to me?

Will it decrease my immunity?

Is it making me dependent on shots to fight all the illnesses?

Are the pharmaceutical companies/vaccine manufacturers using me as a business ground for their profit?

Is this all part of a big political healthcare scam?

As a family doctor who cares for you, I would like to address these concerns for you..

Flu vaccine has inactivated viral protein that will stimulate your body to produce antibodies(defense) against that particular viral strain - flu vaccine covers 4 strains

It doesnt cause any decline in your immunity. Only boosts your memory cells to make note of the potential virus.It may cause lcoal muscle pain due to the shot and a mild viral fever if at all.. that is it.

can getting flu kill you? Not usually.. your body can fight it.. it might take 2 weeks with the fever, body aches, joint pains and fatigue initially and the fatigue itself can sometimes last 3 months in children .

There is a high rate of hospitalization and pneumonia in kids <6 years of age and adults >65 yrs of age, rate of intubation(puting a tube down to your lungs) is high due to respiratory failure in this age group.

This is also the case when there is other conditions that can compromise your immunity like smoking, COPD , asthma,HIV, leukemia, cancers and immune deficiency syndromes.

This is why we push you to get a flu vaccine in order to save you from undergoing all the suffering and expenses -time and energy , lost work days due to the illness.

There is no direct profit to any vaccine manufacturer /pharmaceuticals except for saving money from keeping you from becoming ill or ending up in the hospital.

There is no direct profit to the insurance company except they also get benefitted if you dont end up sick in the clinic or in the ventilator.

If you think about it, flu can keep you off work for atleast 4-5 days if not more(a full work week), a loss in productivity.

Okay.. you listened to all my raving about the benefit of the flu vaccines, and you got the flu vaccine. Is it 100% effective?

Not a 100% because your body's defense can be working differently. You can be protected for the most part. If your body didnt do a good job producing the antibody, then you can still get the flu, but the intensity will be very less. It may pass like a cold.

health
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About the Creator

familydoc

family physician striving to make a difference !

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