Issue Date: September 27, 2009
Yes, you need to get a flu shot
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It takes up to two weeks for a flu shot to kick in, so act now.
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One of the top reasons people give for not getting a flu shot is that the vaccination doesn't completely protect them. It's true: Even if you've received the shot, you may get the flu. But it's still a good idea to get one. Let me use my family as an example.
Last winter, my daughter's boyfriend joined us on a family trip. Everyone in my family had received a flu shot in the fall, but he had not. Shortly into the trip, my daughter and I started feeling sick, but we took over-the-counter medications and kept right on going. When her boyfriend got the same infection we had -- the flu -- his was much worse than ours. The only difference was that she and I had been vaccinated.
Folks should talk to their doctor before getting a flu shot (both the seasonal one and the H1N1 "swine flu" shot) if they are allergic to chicken eggs, had an allergic reaction to flu shots in the past, have a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome from a previous vaccination or already are ill. But just about everyone else should get a flu shot to decrease your chance of getting the flu and to reduce the severity of the illness if you do get it.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and CEO of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.
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