Did you get a flu shot?

[Kobuk]

It's that annual time of year again to get a flu shot before winter sets in. I got mine. How about the rest of you? Better to be safe than sorry.
https://www.tmj4.com/news/national/flu-shot-myth-survey

[Loc]

No. I don't go out and socialise much atm, and they cost money unless you qualify for one on the NHS. Which I do not.

[Jade Sinapu]

My employer had a roundup,  a bunch of cars drive through an area of the parkinglot, and they shoot you in the arm ,like cattle.
 
It's like the only free thing they do.

[Varg the wanderer]

I can get the flu once, or I can get the flu twice... I'll stick with once, thanks. It might be different if I lived with someone who was immuno-comprimised.

[Jade Sinapu]

Yeah, supposedly, the flu shot is"dead" viruses used to teach the immune system. You get mild symptoms as your immune system reacts,  but then is gone.

Some flu shot nasal sprays are active flu virus. Some people get actual flu from that.

But,  hey,  it's optional. Many reasons to get,  many reasons not to get.

Besides the shot only helps if the strain selected is the one going around, and your immune system actually responded to the shot and got prepared.

I have skipped the shot some years,  and got it some years. So for me is spotty.

I just remember one bad year.....when we couldn't afford health care...

Only once did I get the full blown flu,  and I ran a fever of 103+ for 3 days,  all my joints were swelled,  and I was in extreme pain,  couldn't hold food or water down.  Had to use the restroom every 30 min.    Coughed a lot and sweated like crazy.  That happened when I was 13? Never been the same since.  Now I have arthritis everywhere.  Not sure if it is connected. I was out of commission for 2 weeks.

Ever since that I have tried to get the shots.  Ever since that year I have not had that happen to me again.
My 2 cents.

[Old Rabbit]

Yes I got a flu shot. I get them every year, and have been getting them
ever since they have been giving them.

I  know some people don't believe in them, and some feel they will give
you the flue instead. But the flu is dangerous for anyone to get. Far more
than a shot might be. Of course if you have an allergy then you might have
to avoid them.

There seems to be a movement in this country to avoid vaccinations, this
is causing the revival of some dangerous diseases like the Measles. Which
can kill some. There are many diseases out there just waiting to attack any
vulnerable person. Not getting vaccinations put others at risk as well.

So get your shots, because they protect us all. Encluding friends and
family.

[Jade Sinapu]

There is an interesting effect called herd immunity,  whereby if 95%+of a pop are immune, either through vaccination or natural immunity,  then those remaining 5%are safeguarded.  But if less than 95% are I  such good shape, the herd immunity disappears.

Also,  some viruses are so stong they kill pretty much any one not vaccinated against them. Or worse.

I used to have a neighbor,  who when she was 14 got scarlet fever, and went deaf from the high fever.

My mom remembers kids who got polio in the early to mid 1960's, and they have reduced mobility still today.
So some viruses maime if they don't kill you.

Polio can be prevented and is considered basically gone now.  Only because of vaccinations.
Also small pox.

My dog is basically never going to get rabies because of a vaccine,  but without it she is certainly going to die if she gets rabies and is not vaccinated.

Heck if they would give me a rabies vaccine,  I would get that too.  I've been bit many times,  drawing blood.
Not by my dog,  BTW.

[Loc]

There is a human rabies vaccine, and is highly recommended if you travel to some countries or are likely to be at risk for your job. It takes multiple injections to complete the course and the immunity does not last forever. You should talk to a doctor if you get bitten regularly by strange animals - but the time you show any symptoms of having rabies, it is too late for a vaccine.

[Kobuk]

Maybe we should institute mandatory rabies shots for all new furries joining Furtopia? Some of the carnivores around here can be pretty tough. 

[Jade Sinapu]

... You should talk to a doctor if you get bitten regularly by strange animals - but the time you show any symptoms of having rabies, it is too late for a vaccine.

Hey are you saying Loc, that it's too late for me? That I am already rabid?  Maybe that explains the headaches and aversion to bright lights.

I have been bitten by a stray, my sisters dog(s), my brothers cat(s), and some animals at the vet hospital where  my sister works.  But never by dogs I live with, and in total the percentage of bites I got are very low in comparison to all the animals I have been around.  And only a few actually made me hurt for more than a few hours.

(...Starting to wonder if they just don't like me...)

But I digress, this thread is about flu shots.
So, to that end, being an anthro-canine, i did get a human flu shot, and I guess I now need a canine flu shot to round it out.

[Firelight]

I'm immune to illness 99% of the time. I don't need no shot. I have a phobia of needles anyway. 

[Kaiden]

Funny you should ask, I just got one yesterday, I did get mild symptoms, and....A little, very little, but now I don't have to worry about the flu this coming year!

Seriously tho, puking hurts, also I have no choice but to get certain vaccines because I work in a skilled nursing facility.