Although it's recommended that adults and children at least six months old get flu shots every year to prevent influenza, some studies show that the vaccine doesn't lower a person's chance of getting the nasty bug.
Each vaccine contains three influenza viruses, and in theory, about two weeks after vaccination, antibodies develop in the body that provide protection against certain types of flu.
But not all strains of the flu.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control stated the flu shot protected against 40 percent of the flu viruses. However, even if this is the case, is it still a good idea to get a flu shot?
Yes, get a flu shot. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I get flu shots and I have never / rarely gotten the flu. Even if it only protects against 40 percent of the flu viruses in the air, it's still lessening my chance of getting sick because the vaccine manufacturers include the most likely culprits in it each year. Anyone who gets the flu wishes they would have gotten the shot. The flu is miserable and inconvenient.
No flu shot for me, thanks. The match between the viruses and the vaccine varies every year, so your protection is completely random. I would never give my kid a flu shot, either. Most flu shots contain thimerosol, a preservative that is 49 percent mercury. Although some research disproves the link between thimerosol vaccines and autism in children, other parents are certain vaccines afflicted their autistic children. I would never take the risk.
