Flu jabs

*doctor's

harrigran
In a previous post, the poster mentions that her son, despite having a flu jab every year, catches flu every year as a new strain appears every year.
What, then, is the benefit of a flu jab?
If every single person on GN who says they and their families will or have had the flu jab, is it guaranteed that none of them will get flu?

Here's something else to think about.
I've noticed that 8/10 or fewer people don't use the hand sanitisers provided in doctors surgeries (usually right by the booking in screen) OR in hospitals where there are huge red signs everywhere and plenty of sanitisers.
Not using them puts others at risk.

Harrigran, its not that I dont bother, it is the jab that does not agree with me. I am not anti-vax in any way as myself and my family have all had the usual other vaccines. Thing is if the jab makes you really ill or you are allergic to the ingredients, there is not alot you can do. I just thought Id say this so that people understood i am not anti-vax.

Those that don't bother are actually putting the rest of the community at risk, the same kind of mentality with immunisation of children.
Stop burying your head, flu and pneumonia in later years can be deadly, the ageing body does not cope with illness the way it does in youth.

My sons both dislike jabs& blood tests,indeed youngest is extremely needle phobic,but he would not have nasal spray for flu as he cant stand anything up his nose( possibly as he was on oxygen nearly 2yrs after birth) but he braves it out every year for flu jab bless him,as he knows how debilitating it is when he gets flu! But every year theres a different strain& he catches it anyway!

SueDoku must live near me...?

Everywhere seems to be having them already except our area! Im going back monday armed with this info,and will stand my ground!

I asked at gp surgery other day,as last yr we had it too late i felt( my youngest son gets flu almost every yr as his immunity isnt very good,then it wipes him out,medically speaking, for awhile)He's just started college( age 16) so i wanted him to be immunised early. Our surgery said october at least and i cant just ask at chemist as he has a disability and a few other medical conditions as well! I thought its supposed to be to protect the vulnerable? I asked at chemist but she said 'they havent had their criteria through yet' for whose allowed it& who isnt.Its ridiculous.my elder son has flu jab every yr too as he has same disability.and hes starting university later in month,so again i thought it best he has it early.but apparently we cant get it yet in northwest! I have it too as their carer,so if i get flu whose going to help out? Not the chemist nor gp's receptionist ill bet!

My grandmother died of flu and I have had it twice in my life. Flue is an extremely debilitating illness, very similar to Dengue Fever which I have also had the misfortune to experience.
I am so grateful that we have access to a vaccine to protect us from most current strains and I would urge all of you to make an appointment to get protected.

The flu jab is always given at the beginning of October here (I get it as a birthday present..?)
Our surgery does drop in mornings (or you can book an appointment if you prefer) which are brilliantly run - I'm usually in and out within 15 minutes, even when the queue is out of the door..!
Everyone seems to treat it as a social occasion & there's a lot of 'After you' - 'I think you were before me' etc. All very cheerful

The last time I had flu was in 1957,and I was ill for about 6 weeks, thought I was going to have to cancel my wedding. Lots of people died because they caught it. When I started having the flu jabs I was always ill after about 10 days, ( sore throat, bad cough and then a chest infection) so now I don't have it.

polyester57 If you think flu can be cured by a couple of days in bed I can only think you have never had the real thing.

The surgery texted me this week to say they were having a walk in flu jab session this morning. Quite busy but I only waited about 10 minutes. Slightly stiff arm which has practically worn off now and I'm sorted for another year.

My husband and I got texts from the Heath Centre a few days ago, reminding us to book in for our flu jabs. I rang up and booked us in and a few days later we went and had them. We were in and out in a few minutes. We both felt slightly under the weather afterwards with slightly sore arms, but this soon passed. As I am asthmatic and have previously had pneumonia, which I wouldn’t want to repeat, I wouldn’t want to miss out on my flu jab!

My surgery sent me a text that they are having a walk-in clinic next Saturday morning where I can have my "pre-ordered" flu vaccination. They also ask those who don't want it to text NO back to them!

Doc surgery sends out letters and on three saturdays you can go be jabbed. My date is next saturday. I get mine free as have breathing problems. Have had them for about 25 years

Notsoold
I will turn 65 in October so 'looking forward' to my first free flu jab , it is, of course, personal choice but I have been paying for a jab for the past few years and wouldn't dream of not having one

Went to a diabetic appointment on Wednesday. Nurse wants me to have a blood test, and booked me an appointment for that, and the flu jab at the same time. All done and dusted before work.

You may just have been unlucky Esmeralda but they are different viruses
Flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. ... Colds are usually milder than flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalisations

I had the flu jab for the first time last year and all I can say is "Never again". For the past 15-20 years or so I would get just one cold during the winter and it's donkeys years since I had a summer cold, however within days of having the jab I went down with a stinker, followed by another and then another and so on, and so on for at least five months. I was miserable ... and then I succumbed to three summer colds. I'm bracing myself and can only pray that the effects have worn off by now. I understand that this is something that often happens, but they never warn you about it. I'll take my chances, thank you!

I don't bother with flu jabs or any jabs come to that
None of them stop you getting flu or whatever they are meant to protect against
How arrogant and ill-informed.
It is this sort of anti-vax tosh which is undermining vital immunisation programmes such as that for measles and other potentially fatal childhood illnesses.

Oh dear Fiachna all I can add is that my DH had an auto immune condition (PSC - primary sclerosing cholangitis a complication of Ulcerative Colitis which destroyed his liver) but was also on immunosuppressants after the transplant..
He had a flu jab each year but not the same jab that the rest of us get had but catching flu could have proved fatal, given his inability to fight infection.
I think the jury will remain out , on GN at any rate, regarding flu jabs but I would counsel taking medical advice and for those who are afraid of the jab, believe me the real thing is much, much worse.

Hi Ethel, I was perfectly well that year till I had that damn flu jab. My family saw how ill I was so much so my husband says he hopes I never get the jab again. I really must apologise to the lady whose daughter passed away from flu, I dont mean to make it sound insensitive. I am purely saying about my own experience. I had nothing wrong with me till the day I got that jab. One theory my husband and I have is we think it perhaps set off a reaction as I have an autoimmune condition. The jab is meant to stimulate the immune system into a response. I think it certainly did mine with bells on. I keep getting told it is not a live virus , however, there is absolutely no research to explain what happens when you give the flu jab to people with autoimmune conditions. I found one piece of research (I think from USA) that a doctor there said that for my particular condition, it was not a good idea to have a flu jab as it could send my condition into overdrive and I kind of suspect thats what happened. I got such a fright and was so ill I never got it again. I did report it to the yellow card scheme and my GP. I think the GP thought I was havering.

Notsoold1t75 - That is so very sad about your daughter, completely awful for you all.

As for polyester57 - if all you needed for flu was a day of rest and some lemons, I'd guess it wasn't actually flu you had at all. Real flu is incredibly debilitating, clearly dangerous and no-one who has the shot should ever be derided as a 'wimp'.

No doubt I'll be offered mine next month when I have my INR. What puts me off is that for the last two Christmas's I've been ill with ---" flu " for the first times in my life. I don't have so much as a cold throughout the year---only 2 months after the jab ? I'm in a quandary really.