Now is the right time to get a flu shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sporadic flu activity is already being reported in 42 states across the nation, including South Carolina. The flu vaccine is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from the flu. But a lot of people choose not to get it, saying it will give them flu symptoms or that it's not worth it because doesn't always work against all strains of the flu. In this WLTX news report, Dr. Joshua Prince of Lexington Family Medicine, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice, debunks these flu vaccine myths.
One common rumor is that the flu vaccine will give you the flu. Dr. Prince says that's absolutely false. The flu vaccine provides your immune system with a process to build antibodies that will either prevent you from getting the flu, or help you fight the flu.
Some people may have mild reactions to the flu shot including body aches lasting one or two days. Dr. Prince says that's much better than getting the flu. The flu will invade your nasal passages, throat and lungs - and the body aches and fever can be devastating, leading to hospitalization or even death.
Another reason some people skip the flu shot is that it's not always effective against all strains. For example, last year's flu shot was only about 30% effective. Dr. Prince says the vaccine is still worth it. While a number of influenza viruses do exist, we have the best flu vaccine that experts can make every year. A lot of research goes into preparing the vaccine each year and we should take advantage of it. The effectiveness does vary from year to year, but even if it's only 10 to 30 percent effective, that's better than nothing.
