Why Your Flu Shot is More Important Than You Think

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is a potentially dangerous disease that leaves those infected very sick. While getting the flu can sometimes mean just a few days home from school or work, suffering from only a fever, headache, and the occasional sneeze, for some, it means worse outcomes, such as “bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes” (Community Health of Central Washington). Many people are hospitalized with the flu, and hundreds of thousands die from it every year. The best way to protect ourselves against this disease? Get vaccinated.

The Community of Health of Central Washington (CHCW) gives six main reasons as to why you (and everyone you know above six months of age) should receive a yearly flu shot. Number one? It’s simple: the flu shot can save your life.

During the 2019 - 2020 flu vaccination season, the shot alone is estimated to have prevented over 7.5 million influenza contractions. To put that number into perspective, that’s the amount of people living in Hong Kong - it’s a lot! It is also estimated that flu vaccines prevented 3.7 million influenza-related visits to nearby hospitals or other medical centers, 105,000 influenza-based hospitalizations, and 6,300 deaths as a result of influenza (Community of Health of Central Washington). 

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that influenza has resulted in “140,000 - 710,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 - 52,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2020”. Getting a flu shot protects you from contracting this possibly fatal disease, and keeps you and your loved ones safe from its many dangers. 

In addition to saving your own life, the flu shot can also save those around you, through developing herd immunity, listed as the second reason by the CHCW. Herd immunity is a concept that refers to the majority of a population receiving the same vaccine, and therefore decreasing the overall number of cases present within that area. If a large portion of a particular population receives a vaccine, they are far less likely to catch that disease (in this case, it’s the flu) and therefore cannot transmit it to others. This is especially beneficial for those that may not be eligible to receive the flu shot, such as young children or the immunocompromised. 

Reason number three: most people are eligible to get a flu shot. As long as the recipient is above six months of age, they are likely capable of getting their annual flu shot, except, of course, for a few rare exceptions. However, if you are in fact eligible, it is especially important that you consider getting the vaccine, as your body is able to withstand the vaccine while perhaps someone with a weakened immune system cannot. In getting the vaccine, you are protecting both yourself and those unable to be immunized.

The fourth reason has to do with the ever-changing nature of the shot against influenza. Because there are many strains of influenza that are consistently developing and growing more resistant to each year’s shot, the CDC analyzes each upcoming year’s predicted strains, and makes an estimate as to which will appear the most throughout the season. Based on data analysis of previous year’s patterns, they are able to develop a vaccine unique to each flu season, and consequently, no two flu vaccines are ever the same from one year to the next. Because it’s such a versatile type of shot, scientists can quickly adapt their formulas to fit the world’s needs, and the vaccines are constantly developing and getting better. It is important to get an updated flu shot every year because each one provides increased protection against that year’s strain(s) of the flu, and ensures that, if you do happen to get sick, your symptoms are significantly less potent as they may have been had you been unvaccinated against the illness. 

Additionally, the sooner you get the flu shot, the better. According to the CHCW, who lists the time sensitivity of the vaccine as the fifth reason behind its importance, “Flu season usually starts sometime in October and can last until May, so it is important to get vaccinated early. September and October are the best months to get vaccinated.”

Finally, to address a very common misconception regarding the flu shot, reason number six states that you will not get the flu from the flu shot itself. While many people believe you can contract the illness from a vaccination, this is an impossible consequence, considering the fact that the shot utilizes a dead version of the virus, therefore rendering it impossible to infect any living organism. 

As COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to public health and safety, it is all the more important to schedule a flu shot appointment this year. The CDC has deemed it safe to get a COVID vaccine and flu shot simultaneously, and encourage both for utmost protection against disease (Click on Detroit).