Printable View
My Dr recommended I have the flu vacc this season because I'm pregnant.
I am generally pro-vaccination, but I always thought the flu one was weird because there are so many strains of influenza? Plus I have heard lots of negative stories (admittedly from people in the 60+ age bracket) that have gotten sick anyway.
What do people think of this vaccination?
We were talking about this the other day at work as they are doing free flu vacs next week. I've never gotten the flu vaccine, I don't see the point- it's just another needle, and *touch wood* I've really only ever had bad colds, not the full on flu. Also you are right, it only "protects" against one or two strains of the flu, as the flu is a virus it mutates quite quickly so the particular virus you pick up, the flu vac potentially won't protect you from anyway... I've heard of quite a few people who got the flu right after getting the needle, so obviously they didn't have a great reaction to the vaccine!
You still might catch the strain of flu you were given the vaccine for, you just might not get it as bad as what you would have otherwise. Are you able to get the vaccine when you are pregnant? May be handy for some as you can't take cold & flu tablets when pg. I won't be getting it though, never have and probably never will.
I wouldn't have it.
My mum is 75 and our GP doesn't ever get her to have it. You only need it if you are prone to catching the flu.. and the real flu.. not just a bad cold.
I'd be very wary of having any vaccinations whilst pregnant.. but that's just my opinion.. it's not based on anything scientific. LOL.
If I wasn't already adverse to needles, I probably still wouldn't get it. The only people I know who have pretty much told me the same thing - the flu shot was successful in giving them the flu! Although my younger sister is getting one soon as she is a singer with commitments and needs to look at the pro of it preventing her breaking those. I've had flus while pg - hard to avoid with kids at school - and the worst its ever gotten like that is a prolonged duration as your immune system is already valnerable. The last really bad strain was in 2007 and before that was the hospital based "Superflu" in the late 90s. The vax offers no protection for either. Hardly seems worth it under those circumstances.
Every year work give free flu vaccines out and normally I get one, I asked our Team admin assistant to get some info for me cos I'm pregnant and apparently there is no proof that it does cause harm, but it is not recommended for pregnant women. Hence I'm not getting it this year.
Everyone has different ideas on things but this was just what I was told :)
Thanks all for your opinions. The Australian immunisation handbook recommends that women who are going to be in the 2nd or 3rd tri during flu season should be immunised.
And then I read other articles that say you should only have the vaccine if you are high risk (e.g. asthmatic, kidney problems etc), which I am not. I have a history of allergies/eczema but not asthma.
I think I have had the flu once. (My sister reckons it was Scarlet Fever, but I'm sticking with Influenza... we both caught it and never got tested.)
I've also read studies from the US that say the flu vaccine can protect your newborn if you have it while pregnant (given that you can't give a baby the vaccine).
I am so confused! I want to protect myself and my baby, of course but don't want to have unnecessary meds while pregnant. Agh! I'll have to keep thinking on it.