By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The Flu Vaccine: Pros and Cons
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > The Flu Vaccine: Pros and Cons
Public Health

The Flu Vaccine: Pros and Cons

CarolynBK
CarolynBK
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Every fall we are inundated by advertisements for the flu vaccine.  It’s available for around $15 at pharmacies, clinics, doctor’s offices and schools.  There are a lot of questions concerning the flu vaccine however: Is it safe? Does it work? Who should avoid it?  What are the side effects? 

Every fall we are inundated by advertisements for the flu vaccine.  It’s available for around $15 at pharmacies, clinics, doctor’s offices and schools.  There are a lot of questions concerning the flu vaccine however: Is it safe? Does it work? Who should avoid it?  What are the side effects? 

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), not only are there several different strains of the influenza virus, but there are other viruses that present symptoms like the flu that are not the flu.  Therefore, if the vaccination strains — usually there are three different strains in a dose — don’t match up with the actual strains that infect that season, then the vaccine isn’t going to do any good.

When you get a flu shot you are being injected with these ‘inactive’ flu strains that bind to proteins in your blood stream to create antibodies, which attack the particular virus they are matched to defeat.  The flu vaccine is a game of prediction; they have to produce the vaccination before the flu starts to infect people, so they have to choose which 3 strains they think are most likely to hit the population in the upcoming flu season.  If they pick the wrong strains, you will have no protection against the strains that actually do show up.  This is why the flu vaccine isn’t always helpful.  According to their most recent data from the 2010-2011 flu season, results averaged about 60% effective prevention for those who received the vaccine.  This number reflects all age groups combined. 

More Read

Women Must Regulate Hormone Levels to Stop Gum Disease
The Sleepy American
Making the Hospital Part of the Community
Healthcare Innovation: Moving from Stewardship to Leadership
Smoking and Sudden Cardiac Death: The Time to Quit is NOW!

Certain data suggests that the effectiveness of the vaccine is much lower on the elderly since their immune systems are weaker and are not as capable of creating enough of the antibodies necessary to ward off the flu.  It can also be an issue of timing, the body needs about two weeks to create the antibodies, and then after a while they die off, so if you get vaccinated too soon or too late, you’ll still get the flu.

If you are allergic to eggs DO NOT get the vaccine, there are eggs used in the manufacturing process.  The majority of vaccines also contain the preservative thimerosal, which is about half mercury, so if you’re going to vaccinate your child you should definitely request a thimerosal-free shot. 

There’s not a lot of definitive evidence to suggest that the flu vaccine is doing severe damage. Mild symptoms may occur, but when one thinks of the nearly 40,000 people who die every year from the flu, it’s hard to say which way to go is better.  The problem is that the people who tend to die from the flu are the ones that the vaccine doesn’t work as well for, like the elderly.  However, keeping the spread of the flu among healthy people down will help prevent the infections spreading altogether. 

Evidence suggests that the flu vaccine is not dangerous per se, just reactive in some individuals. 

Carolyn is a guest post blogger who writes about health education, medical news and RN Schools. 

 

TAGGED:flu vaccine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Why are Girls Being Abandoned and Battered ?

August 20, 2012
healthcare reform FFS
Health ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Bill Frist Wants to Ban FFS

March 28, 2013

2015: The Year of Interactive Television for Patients by Patients

January 18, 2015

Alzheimers Onset Less in Bilingual

April 9, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?