Issue Date: October 1, 2006
Armed for flu?
Get a flu shot to protect others as well as yourself.
You can't "catch" the flu from the shot.
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I've heard just about every reason for skipping out on flu shots -- "I don't need it because I never get the flu"; "The last time I got a flu shot I got the flu"; "I don't have time." But a primary reason we all should get a flu shot is to protect those around us. Most healthy adults who acquire influenza will get sick but not die from the illness. Unfortunately, that's not true for elderly people, children and anyone with chronic illness. Hospitalization rates for flu-infected children are high, particularly if they also have conditions like asthma.
The problem: Flu symptoms can take up to four days to develop after exposure, so people often don't know where they got the bug. Because this family of virus is highly contagious, it spreads quickly among clusters of people (in schools, stores, churches, etc.). That's why the influenza virus often is associated with an epidemic.
Flu shots thwart the virus' attempt to spread. They significantly decrease the risk of acquiring the infection and tend to minimize symptoms in those who do get it. The shot itself is an inactivated (dead) virus, so it's a myth that you can "catch" the flu from the shot. A nasal vaccination, also available, does contain live viruses, so it can cause flu, particularly in people whose immune system is compromised. Both vaccinations effectively reduce the risk, and as the season rolls around, we must do our part to protect our communities.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and medical director of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.
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