Folks having mixed feelings on flu shots, officials still urge getting them

KEARNEY, Neb. — 

We are getting into cold and flu season and according to the Good Sam Health Clinic, as soon as you hit six months of age it is recommended you get an annual flu shot, but are folks really listening?

Some say they don’t need it.

“I don’t really ever get sick so I’ve just never been worried about getting the flu shot,” said one UNK student.

Some believe it has caused them to get sick.

“… Because whenever I’ve gotten the flu shot, I’ve gotten the flu and I just don’t believe in them,” said Kathy Hickenbottom.

For others, getting the flu shot is almost a tradition the whole family participates in.

“It’s just what you’re supposed to do- protect yourself and others,” said a Kearney resident.

According to the CDC, since 2010, an estimated 12,000 to 56,000 deaths are caused by the flu annually.

Family physician Brittani Moeller said the number one question she gets when it comes to flu shots is if a patient will still get the flu.

“In the flu vaccine you’re given kind of a piece of the vaccine but it’s either inactivated or dead or just resembles it so it allows your body to recognize the flu if you ever come into contact with the real thing,” said Moeller.

Dr. Moeller said you may get a mild illness that is similar but you will never really get influenza.

When it comes to getting the shot, Dr. Moeller said you are not just getting it for yourself.

“Some individuals such as infants under the age of 6 months, or say cancer patients don’t have the immune system to be able to get the flu vaccine so by you getting it and protecting yourself, you’re also protecting those members in the community and you’re family who aren’t able to get it,” said Moeller.

If you would like to get in for a shot, the Good Sam Health Clinic will be open for extended hours this week.

Courtesy: NTV