To clarify... If you are a well and healthy person you will recover much more quickly provided you rest, drink etc.

I had influenza A when I was pregnant with Imogen. I was on steroids which compromise immunity. I was sick about 8 weeks. I wasn't febrile with aches for that amount of time. I developed pneumonia - not uncommon with influenza as a nice little side affect. Again, I was on immuno suppressant drugs, I was pregnant, I was incredibly stressed...

Nobody wants their kids to be sick "over a week" with anything. It's about making a decision for yourself and your family based on factual information, intuition, life experience and your individual experience.

I wouldn't fly to India & drink the water without a cover for cholera. I wouldn't travel to PNG without anti malarials.

However, I also wouldn't give my kid the flu vax because it in my opinion is ineffective, can cause side affects that personally I wouldn't risk for my child & I care and feed my children well & do not rely on these things to prevent illness in my kids in my community.

We had a very well publicised measles outbreak here last year. I think that we had under 5 cases of measles at my kids school. This school has an almost non existent immunisation rate. (under 10% I "think")
The state school was almost forced to close with a 60% rate.

It's not just about vaccination. You have to factor in how you support your childs immunity, how you feed him/her, how you rest them, how you quarantine them, your lifestyle (if you hang out in big shopping centres frequently, travel on crammed PT, have an immune disorder etc etc) will affect your decision.

People who don't immunise don't think it's okay for their kids to be sick - they weigh up the risk with the benefit according to their information, gut feeling and experiences.