The elderly and little kids, health care workers, and the sick or immunocompromised should all of course get flu vaccinations. But why should a healthy adult get a flu shot? Although we're aware that the flu circulates at work or public places frequented by healthy adults, many hesitate, thinking that the shot actually causes a mild version of the flu. Or that the vaccine contains a preservative that is unhealthy. They don’t want to take a chance.
If not for their own health, healthy adults should get flu shots for the benefit of those they care for: children, older parents, and grandparents. “The number one thing is preventing the spreading of the illness to others,” says Dr. Christian Sutter, family medicine physician at Mercy Clinic in Sappington. “The healthy person could be bringing disease to those in those high-risk populations. Pregnant women are also in that category, or people who have medical conditions such as chronic asthma or heart disease. A lot of us have exposure to those people whether at home or in the community.”
Sutter said people most often opt out of the flu shot because they think it will make them sick. “There’s good data and good science behind flu shots not causing people to get sick,” he says, citing studies proving that the difference between getting the flu shot and a shot of salt water is that the site of the flu shot is more likely to be red and sore.
“The best treatment is prevention,” says Sutter, and failing that, if you observe early flu symptoms such as fever and headache, prescribed antiviral medications can reduce the flu’s impact. Sutter emphasized that flu sufferers should stay home from work or school. After the flu, “The recommendation is that you should stay home until you have been 24 hours without fever,” he said.
Concerned about the preservative thimerosal in your flu shot? Ask for a single-dose shot from a pre-filled syringe. Only multi-dose vials contain thimerosal.
For more info on the flu vaccine, click here.
