Should I get a flu shot? Based on the advertising every fall, it would seem that you should. But is the focus on flu shots supported by facts?



The majority of people I know don't get the flu shot. But across the population, avoiding the flu shot could be more the exception than the rule.



If you're for or against the flu shot or stuck on the fence, this blog post will give you some crucial points to consider. 



Adults ought to make their own informed decisions about their health and the health of their families. That's especially the case today, now that the COVID-19 pandemic is part of the discussion.



Unfortunately, most people are not informed.





Influenza-Like Illness



The flu begins as a respiratory infection. More than 200 viruses can cause Influenza-Like Illness (ILI). The influenza virus can cause ILI, but so can many other viruses.



Per the CDC, flu symptoms include:



Flu SymptomsCongestion or runny noseCoughDiarrheaFatigue and weaknessFever or chillsHeadacheMuscle or body achesNausea or vomitingSore throat



How does that compare to COVID-19 symptoms? Again, from the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms include:



COVID-19 SymptomsCongestion or runny noseCoughDiarrheaFatigue or weaknessFever or chillsHeadacheMuscle or body achesNausea or vomitingNew loss of taste or smell



They look pretty similar, don't they? With so many people exposed to the COVID-19 virus today, many doctors will undoubtedly diagnose patients with COVID-19 instead of the flu, even though they would have had the flu even if they weren't carrying the COVID-19 virus.



Like COVID-19, certain people are at greater risk for severe flu cases, including those who:




Are elderly and immunocompromised



Are obese



Have diabetes



Have heart disease



Have asthma




If you're over the age of 40, when you were a kid and got the flu, you probably stayed home from school for a day or two, watched boring daytime TV, and drank Sprite while lying on the couch, under a blanket.



You knew that getting sick once in a while was just part of living. You didn't live in fear of the flu.



Today, marketing and political and financial interests have created a massive fear about a common illness.



And with COVID-19 in the picture, the promotion of panic is at a whole other level.



How Does the Flu Vaccine Work?



You might think the flu shot gives you some superpower to combat the flu. That's not how it works.



The flu shot doesn't guarantee you'll avoid the flu. It reduces the likelihood you'll get it, only if you get infected by the same strain the vaccine contains.



When someone says, "I've gotten the flu shot for ten years in a row, and I haven't gotten the flu one time," their avoidance of the flu and getting the flu shot could be pure coincidence.



"When someone says, "I've never gotten the flu shot, and I never get the flu," that could also be a coincidence.



When someone says, "I got the flu shot, and the next day I felt like I had the flu," that could most definitely be the result of the flu shot.



Influenza viruses cause influenza-like illness in only 7-15% of cases. Other viruses that cause influenza-like illness include:




respiratory syncytial virus, which causes a respiratory infection



rhinovirus, which causes the common cold



adenovirus, which causes bronchitis and other illnesses



parainfluenza viruses, which also cause the common cold



human coronaviruses, which cause SARS and COVID-19



human metapneumovirus, which also causes respiratory infections




Without getting tested for the flu, it's impossible to know whether someone has "the flu," or an infection that leads to symptoms like the flu. The flu vaccine does not prevent infection from any of these other viruses.



Influenza A, B, and C and the Vaccine



The viruses that cause the majority of ILI come from one of two groups, Influenza A and Influenza B. There's also Influenza C. Many different strains of viruses make up each group.