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flu shot 2018

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Flu season is upon us, and it’s just in time to ruin that winter getaway you planned with your partner or that flight home you spent a pretty penny on to visit your family. Doesn’t it always feel like the flu waits in the wings to pounce until the very moment you really need to be healthy? Or want to be, because it’s during your much-needed vacation? Well, some of that may be true, but there are other things at play. When you’re stressed out, your immune system takes a hit. And you’re likely the most stressed out just around the holidays when you’re working extra to fund all those presents and airplane trips. And then there’s the fact that the flu virus is just the strongest at this time of year. The flu shot can put some of these issues to rest but it’s important to know the facts, first. Here are myths about the flu shot.

flu season 2018

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Myth: The flu is not a big deal

Because so many people get the flu each year, and we have so much modern medicine to fight it off, it’s easy to believe that the flu is not a big deal. In fact, some people just accept that they’ll get it, annually, as a normal part of life.

flu shot 2018

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Fact: The flu can get worse

The flu is a serious upper respiratory condition that can sometimes cause even more life-threatening illnesses. It can even be fatal. The flu is not to be taken lightly. It is very different from the common cold. In fact, the word “common” doesn’t come before “flu” for a reason.

flu shot 2018

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Myth: The vaccine makes me sick

Many individuals believe that the flu shot can make them sick, because they wind up contracting the flu within a couple of weeks of getting the vaccine. They also believe this since the vaccine carries the virus.

flu season 2018

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Myth: I never get the flu, so I won’t get it

Some people believe that if they’ve never gotten the flu up until this point, then they never will. There is a misunderstanding that how the flu affected one in past years is an indicator of how it will affect them in present day.

flu shot 2018

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Fact: The virus changes each year

The flu virus transforms and mutates every year, and there are several viruses going around. Your immune system may have, for some reason, stood up against old strains but that doesn’t mean it will fight off new ones.

flu shot 2018

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Fact: The virus can be very strong

The virus can be very strong, and can knock out the heartiest of immune systems. If you believe in the past that you got the virus, and your body knocked it out, that probably isn’t true—you likely just didn’t get it at all in the past. If you do, though, you’ll probably feel it.

flu shot 2018

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Myth: The flu shot won’t protect me

Some say, “If I’m going to get the flu, I’m going to get it” and believe that the flu shot is ineffective. They think if the virus enters their body, it’s over for them.

flu shot 2018

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Fact: It reduces risk

The flu shot reduces your risk of getting sick. If you come in contact with one of the strains that the vaccine protects against, you are much less likely to become sick than someone who didn’t get the shot.

flu shot 2018

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Fact: It deters most strains

The vaccine deters the most common strains of the flu, but it doesn’t protect against all of them. Because the flu virus is constantly changing, it’s hard for doctors to create a vaccine that protects against all strains, 100 percent of the time.