Should We Get The
Flu Vaccine?
By Athena,
one of our contacts in
South Florida, USA
Sal-Om all,
I know that there is some
hesitation to get the flu vaccine. However, like
everything else, we have to study the facts and reflect
on them.
If those of us who are able to get
the vaccine, get the vaccine, then we are also helping
those who are unable to get the vaccine (due to lack of
access, lack of funding, health issues, those under the
age of 6 months, etc.). When we prevent the
disease from growing in us, we are one less person who
can pass it on, and are therefore protecting those who
cannot get the vaccine.
Do not get the vaccine if you have
a temperature or if you are not feeling well.
Also, remember that it takes 2 weeks for you to develop
immunity after you get the vaccine, so try to get it
before the flu hits your area.
If you are over 60 and/or have a
chronic condition such as asthma, diabetes, or heart
problems, you may want to consider getting the
pneumococcal vaccine as well. It needs to be
renewed every 5 years, and is 60-70% effective in
preventing pneumonia caused by the Streptococcus
bacteria.
Although I do not fit the profile
of above 60 or a chronic condition, I have been very ill
with bronchitis several times in the past, and know that
my upper respiratory system is my weakness. Put me
in a moldy room and I start to wheeze. If it is
freezing weather outside I cough. So I know that
if my immune system was ever
compromised or I was in the hospital, I would be at risk
for getting pneumonia. Because of this, I make
sure to get the pneumococcal vaccine every 5 years.
Therefore, we have to take the
information written by knowledgeable people like doctors
and scientists, reflect and meditate on our own body's
needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and see what advice we
should follow and how. For instance, I did not get
the H1N1 vaccine last year because the production was so
rushed that I did not trust it. I also heard from
my colleagues at work about some people who got sick
from the vaccine in both Florida and Europe.
Instead, I was very careful about hand hygiene, wore a
mask at work whenever possible, and avoided crowded
places as much as possible. The good thing is that
the H1N1 virus hit while children were out of school,
because little children share everything from cookies to
germs.
This year's flu vaccine is a 3 in
1 (protects against 3 different flu strains) and does
have the H1N1 vaccine, but it is not the same one as
last year.
I get the vaccine every year for
several reasons:
-
I would rather take the day
off from work to go on vacation than spend it sick
in bed.
-
Every time I caught a cold or
a flu in the past, it went straight to my upper
respiratory system, making me cough and hack for
many weeks. Coughing like that can create scar
tissue on the lungs.
-
I protect those around me when
I do not get sick.
I get my vaccines at Walgreens (an
American drugstore chain) because there is no need to
make an appointment. This year's vaccine is
already out and is a 3 in 1. It costs $30 and
Medicare B almost always covers it (as do many other
health insurance plans). I had mine a few weeks
ago and only waited 10 minutes, and I got a 30% discount
off any purchase that day because I got the flu shot.
May this year be your healthiest
ever. For some more information on the flu
vaccine, see this flyer from the
CDC (PDF format).
Sal-Om,
Athena
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