With flu season underway, it’s time for patients to consider getting a flu shot. There seems to be a lot of misinformation about the flu shot out there, so I’ll address some of the common concerns I often hear.
— I’ve never had the flu, so I don’t need to get a flu shot.
— You may have never had the flu, and if you do get the flu you may recover just fine. However, the flu is toughest on children and people over the age of 65. If you will be in close contact with children or someone over 65, you should get a flu shot so you don’t pass the flu on to them if you do become sick.
— I got the flu shot before, and it gave me the flu.
— The flu shot can’t give you the flu. The flu shot comes in many forms, and there is a live flu shot that can make you feel slightly under the weather, but most flu vaccines are made from virus particles and can’t make you sick. If you do become sick after getting the flu shot, it is likely that you from a different virus or bacteria.
— I’ve heard the flu shot isn’t effective.
— The flu shot isn’t 100 percent effective, so it is possible to get the flu even if you did get a flu shot, but those patients tend to get well faster and go to the hospital less often than patients that choose to forgo their flu shot.
— I’d rather take my chances getting the flu than getting the shot.
— Each year, the flu and pneumonia together are the 8th leading cause of death in the United States. This number doesn’t include deaths from heart attacks and strokes that may have been brought on by a case of the flu. The flu doesn’t sound intimidating, but is a very serious illness.
At Rx Express Pharmacy, we agree with the CDC that everyone should get a flu shot. We believe this so much we’ve partnered with Culver’s in Navarre to offer a coupon for FREE custard for patients that get a flu shot at Rx Express. Flu shots are free with most insurances, and no appointment is needed, so stop by and get your flu shot at Rx Express and enjoy delicious custard from Culver’s!
