Body Blog: Should You Get a Flu Shot?

Yes, it’s that time of year again. It’s getting cooler out, and before you know it the leaves will be changing, along with your wardrobe. You hear the crisp fall breeze whistling through the trees, the fallen leaves crunching under your feet, and…hacking coughs? That’s right, ladies, flu season is almost here.

Now, I have a bit of a strange confession to make – I’ve never had the flu! It’s not that I don’t get sick. In high school, I used to get sick every winter without fail, but I usually got stuck with sinus infections or bronchitis. Never the flu. As you probably remember, in the fall of 2009, which was my freshman year of college, the swine flu hit. Almost every friend I had made at school got some version of the flu, whether it was of the piggy variety or just your grandma’s regular old influenza. I was scared. I’d just been sick for weeks (bronchitis AND a sinus infection) and had missed tons of classes. So what did I do? I got vaccinated for the swine flu and the regular flu. And it worked. No flu for me.

Even though I had a good experience, I’m still never sure whether or not I should get a flu shot, and I’ve heard lots of my friends say the same. I’m not a medical professional, so I can’t give a recommendation on the topic, but I’ve put together some information about the pros and cons of the influenza vaccine to help you (and myself) to make the decision this fall.

First, the facts: this link from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give you all the basic information you need to know about the vaccine itself, including the different types of vaccines, and who should not be vaccinated. Read More »


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