Is Flu Shot Safety Being Questioned?

Flu shots have been proven to be one of the most reliable ways to prevent the spread of the flu virus. Every year, over a hundred thousand people in the US have safely received effective flu vaccines. However, there have been questions in recent years whether or not these flu shots are necessary. This was the case after some people have had adverse flu shot reactions, and this has led to a lot of debate regarding the benefits of flu shots. 

There are a lot of conflicting opinions and hearing about this can make you confused on deciding whether to take your annual flu shot. If you still aren’t sure whether flu shots are needed, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll go in-depth and explain the benefits of taking flu shots if you want to safeguard you and your loved ones’ overall well-being.

• Flu Prevention 

There are many benefits to getting a flu shot and one of the most important ones is its ability to protect the young and the old from catching the flu. Children and the elderly are more at risk of severe flu symptoms due to their weak immune system, so it’s best to take a flu shot to avoid any fatality. Furthermore, older people are at a higher risk because they are more susceptible to the different strains of the flu. The flu vaccine has been proven to work extremely well for those individuals suffering from certain types of pre-existing conditions such as hypertension. Therefore, these persons need to take a flu shot to reduce the severity of symptoms and minimizing the chances of death. 

Once you get your flu shot, you also lower the chances of contracting the flu again. This is something that you need to consider over anything else because there’s no way to be sure how many times you’ll get exposed to the flu virus. Nonetheless, the odds are pretty good that it will at least once in your lifetime. Even if it doesn’t happen during the flu season, getting your shot every year will ensure that you are protected in the future. There is nothing worse than getting sick and having to deal with the horrible symptoms of the flu, only to find out a few days later that you never had the flu. 

• Makes Flu Less Severe 

While many people think that receiving a flu shot gives them some immunity against getting sick with the flu, this isn’t necessarily true. Flu vaccines don’t affect the immune system and won’t provide you with protection against colds, coughs, sneezes, ear infections, or any other common colds that you would get during flu season. However, the flu vaccine does a great job of reducing the severity of flu-like symptoms. If you get sick, the flu symptoms are less severe, and only a small percentage actually develops serious complications.

• Lowers Productivity Loss 

While a flu shot might not ensure you don’t suffer from the flu, it does a great job managing the severity of your symptoms. If you’ve had a flu shot, you’re better placed to cope with the severe symptoms of the flu compared to a person who didn’t receive the vaccination. As a result, you spend a shorter duration recovering, allowing you to get back to work a lot quicker. If you’re an adult, this is excellent news as it means you get to spend more time at work.

• Reduces Community Transmission

While looking after your wellbeing is vital, you also need to care for the people living around you. This is especially crucial if you live with older people, pregnant women, young children, babies, and people suffering from chronic conditions as they’re more prone to severe flu illness. Therefore, if you do care for your loved ones, it’s crucial to get a flu shot at least once a year. By doing this, you’ll have played your part in lowering the spread of the flu among the people around you.

Takeaway 

Flu vaccines are safe, and over the last fifty years, over one hundred million people in America have safely received safe flu vaccines. Because of this, it’s advisable to take a flu shot because it can help you manage flu symptoms better. 

While it is rare, getting side effects from a flu shot can happen. The most common side effect from the flu shot is a sore throat and fever, but there are also side effects such as nausea, headache, muscle ache, upset stomach, and a runny nose. Despite these side effects, taking a flu shot is still recommended if you want to lower the chances of getting sick in the future.