The Flu

So I started writing this whole post about my weekend and wondered if anyone really gives a rat's ass about what I did with my weekend (apple picking, puking, and urgent care - in that order). Then I wondered what else I could write about. Then work handed the post to me on a silver platter.

As you may recall, I work in a medical office. All clinical staff are strongly urged to get the flu shot. I don't think our new hospital group requires it but our old group did. As always, I declined the shot. I have to fill out and sign a declination form and state my reasons. I don't want the shot. Why do I have to explain my reasons?

But some of the reasons are amusing. Scared of needles. Afraid you will get the flu. Have never taken the flu shot. I just checked "Other" and stated that I don't believe in the effectiveness of the shot. And I really don't. The flu shot is only effective if they get the correct strains in the shot. Even then it's only 70-90% effective. Not 100%. So you are just taking a chance that they'll have it right this year and you'll be protected. But chances are they won't have it right and you'll still get some strain of the flu. And even if they DO have it right, you still have a 10-30% chance of getting the flu. What's the point?

I found an article on Slate by Robert Bazelle urging us all to get our flu shots. Per the article, "According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, the virus kills on average 36,000 Americans annually, a terrible toll—almost as many as die from auto accidents." 36,000 people killed annually. Yes, that is a lot, but in a nation of 310,216,319 people, that's a very small portion of the population. And most of those people that did die had some sort of underlying condition. Normal, healthy people aren't just keeling over from the flu. The CDC even says that you are still more likely to die in a auto accident than from the flu. Perhaps they can come up with a shot to vaccinate against idiots on the road instead.

I read some other comments where people feel it should be mandatory for health care workers to get the shot. "You could be walking around infected with the flu and dealing with patients before your symptoms appear!" Um, ok, did we not just discuss how the flu shot is not 100%? So if people get the shot they are to assume they are free and clear and not continue to use the basic precautions to prevent the transmission of germs? What's the difference?

Now of course my stance is based on the fact that I am a fairly healthy 36 year old. If you're elderly or have some sort of chronic or severe illness, then yes, maybe the flu shot is a good idea. But again, it's not a fail-safe. My father had the flu shot and the pneumonia shot (he had a severe chronic illness) yet he STLL got pneumonia and died. Maybe I should mark that as my reason for declining the vaccine?