Nov 11, 2008 6:37 am US/Eastern
Top Excuses People Use To Avoid The Flu Shot
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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They're rolling up their sleeves at Stop & Shop in Jamaica Plain to get their flu shot. "I thought it was the right thing to do," said Bill Ganlon of Boston. "I certainly don't want to get the flu this season. I want to be busy skiing and other winter things."
"I'm a teacher now and have been getting a lot more sick from the kids and everyone told me get a flu shot because I'm with lots of kids," said Sarah Ladd of Jamaica Plain.
Doctors say the flu shot is the best way of preventing the flu, but despite that advice, Consumer Reports found nearly half of all Americans still don't get the flu shot.
So What Are The Biggest Excuses? Sixty-seven percent say they don't get the shot because it's better to build their own immunity to the flu. Forty-five percent say they don't get sick and 41 percent say the shot makes them sick.
Twenty-seven percent of people think the flu shot is ineffective and 5 percent say they would rather get the flu than go to work.
For those concerned about cost, Consumer Reports found the flu vaccine is available for free for many people. Sixty-five of those vaccinated didn't have any out-of-pocket expense.
Who's Most Vulnerable This Flu Season? People who may be at high risk for getting complications from the flu or transmitting the flu to others should get
vaccinated this year.
That group includes the elderly, young children, people who work with the elderly or young children, people with weakened immune systems, people with certain chronic illnesses and pregnant women.
Can You Really Get Sick From The Flu Shot? One of the top excuses for not getting a shot is that the flu shot will actually make you sick. First of all, the flu shot cannot actually cause the flu.
It's made from killed influenza virus that is inactive and unable to cause illness. You may get pain at the injection site, or feel aches in your arm for a few days, but you won't get the flu.
A lot of people think the flu shot causes the flu because they get the shot all the time when cold viruses are running rampant, so the chances that you'll get a cold or other viral illness within days of getting a flu shot is pretty high.
Will This Year's Shot Be Effective? Hopefully! The flu virus changes every year, and usually the flu vaccine is up to 70 or 80 percent effective at preventing the flu. Last year was an unusual year, and the vaccine was much less effective. This year, the hope is that the vaccine will be much better matched with this year's flu virus strain.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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