[–] ICanLiftThat 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Future pharmacist, they are pretty effective at preventing the no shit flu. Everyone gets a little fever and maybe some gastroenteritis and thinks that have "the flu." If you actually get the strain of flu you get a vaccine for you'd guarantee yourself a trip to the ER. History has forgotten all the extremely deadly flu epidemics in the early 1900s.
[–] Trishit 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
Anecdata alert!!
I've been getting the flu shot every year for almost 10 years. I've been exposed to a lot of people with the flu. I haven't had the flu yet. They make a best educated guess at which strains will be most active in a given flu season. There are usually three strains the vaccine will protect against. Sometimes, though, they don't guess correctly or there may be a different strain that's more prevelant in one area.
Having said that, I don't get too up in arms about people not vaccinating for the flu. Other diseases like polio, rubella, mumps, measles, etc.? Yes, vaccinate or go to some isolated island somewhere.