Flu-shot fables

Flu vaccine shots are now available through your doctor, urgent care clinics and drug stores. Pro tip: Get one. Last year was one of the most severe flu seasons on record outside of a pandemic, with 180 flu-related pediatric deaths in the U.S. as of August, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 80 percent of those deaths occurred in children who had not received a flu vaccination that year. Whatever the excuse for not getting a flu shot, there’s an easy rebuttal:

• “I’ll catch the flu from the vaccination.” Nope. The vaccine you receive is inactive or weak. It’s impossible for you to get the flu from it.

• “I’m scared of needles.” Many people get the vaccine via nasal mist. If you can’t, suck it up and be a big buckaroo.

• “It causes autism.” No, it does not. Science is real.

• “Drug companies get rich off vaccines!” Incorrect. Flu vaccines are not profitable.

• “Vaccines are packed with toxins.” OK, that’s true—by concentration per volume. But we’re talking about half a milliliter of fluid, a ridiculously small amount compared to the human body. Side effects are extremely rare, and the polio vaccine contains the same chemicals. You know what’s been eradicated? Polio.

Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Scary Mommy