OMNI News
Why Should I Get the Flu Shot?
8.26.2009At OMNI Medical Group, we are encouraging our patients and their families to receive an influenza vaccination and here is why:
Obviously, a person that gets the shot benefits personally by avoiding the illness, but that also means that they cannot spread the illness to family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. If you do not get sick, you do not miss work. If you do not miss work, it is not an extra burden on your coworkers.
At OMNI, we also encourage our staff to be vaccinated. Studies have shown that in hospitals and clinics where the workforce is vaccinated, have fewer severe cases of influenza, and fewer deaths from influenza.
Some people are convinced that a flu shot once gave them a case of influenza. Scientifically, that is impossible. Injecting a dead virus into someone's arm cannot give them a case of influenza.
It is not uncommon to get a vaccination and feel crummy later on. This is due to the fact that an immunization is designed to create immunity, and for some people, this makes them feel bad. They are not sick and contagious in the usual sense, but do feel bad. It's not usually as severe or long lasting as a real infection, but it leaves a bad impression.
Secondly, if a person is immunized when influenza is already going around, then their illness is not caused by the shot, they just happened to be getting the illness at the time they got the shot. In other words, it's coincidence. Again, it leaves a lasting impression that the flu shot is guilty of making them sick.
By the way, influenza is not just a bad cold. It is a much more dreadful illness, with fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, and severe weakness. Influenza patients are so sick, they wonder how they can even make it in to the doctor's office. That's one reason why prevention is so much better than cure: you don't have to suffer.
Some people do not want a flu shot because they do not want ANY shots. They find needles painful and scary, and will do almost anything to avoid a shot.
These folks need to know that there is a vaccination without a needle called FluMist, that is a nose spray. It is totally painless.
Lastly, there are a very few people where getting an influenza vaccination is a bad idea for medical or religious reasons. If you have a proven allergy to eggs, have had a severe allergic reaction to a previous flu shot, or a condition called Guillain Barre syndrome, we do not want you to get a flu shot. The risk is greater than the possible benefit. However, not very many people fall into this category.
Hopefully, this information is helpful for you so you can make a wise decision about getting immunized against influenza. If you would like to schedule an appointment with your OMNI provider, please call your doctor's office today.
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