Flu Season Is Here: Let’s Talk About Vaccines

Every year about this time our community divides into two camps. I do not mean Republican and Democrat or parent and teenager. One group has been anxious to get their flu shot since the Lobster Festival and they will be first in line when the new vaccine arrives. If you are in that group, we have you covered. We have the newest formula of flu shot including the high dose for immunosuppressed or elderly people. Come and get it. Give us a call so we can be ready for you (207-680-4545). You are making a good decision because it looks like it is going to be a worse than average flu year. Here is the latest from national CDC.

This graph shows flu activity in New England has already started up. We are late to the game. Flu started up before Labor Day in the west and southwest so we get some idea of what to expect. It’s too early to predict how severe the flu virus will be this year. Last year, the H3N2 strain was particularly lousy for older adults. There was H3N2 this year in the Southern Hemisphere and that sometimes predicts activity for us. But not always.

Now to immunizations. I am unequivocally and enthusiastically a vaccine advocate. Flu shots save lives. Maybe it will save yours. If my personal magnetism can not sway you, here are some issues that I have heard.

1. “I don’t want the shot. I always get the flu from it.” No you don’t. It is not possible. The vaccine has no infectious particles to cause flu. What you get is a sore arm for a day and maybe feel a little rocky in the evening and the next morning. That is what Tylenol is for. A sore arm for a day is better than flu for weeks.
2. “I never get the flu.” Great! Buy a Powerball ticket. Just don’t make it your retirement strategy. If you are not immune and you are exposed to flu, you are likely to get it. And you don’t want that. If you have never had the flu, thank your friends and neighbors who got vaccinated and protected you from exposure. Now, return the favor.
3. “I got the shot and got flu anyway.” Could be. But it would have been a milder case than had you not had the vaccine. The shot protects you from severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Some immunized people (not a lot) can get infected. Also, other respiratory viruses like adenovirus can cause an illness that is like flu and would not be covered by the vaccine.
4. “I don’t trust them new fangled mRNA vaccines.” Fine, get a traditional flu shot that does not use mRNA technology.
5. “I don’t want to be injected with the mercury that they use to make the vaccine.” Mercury (thimerosol) has not been in single doses (the kind we use) US flu vaccines for years. If preservatives are keeping you from getting the shot, get the nasal vaccine, Flumyst, that doesn’t even have tiny amounts of any preservative.

Even though I am a vaccine proponent, I am happy to have a discussion about the pros and cons. We should also talk about COVID vaccine (COVID is picking up also) and RSV for older and more vulnerable people. All of us at Knox Clinic want to engage with you in a dialogue about how much better it is to prevent disease than to treat it!