Bob: I am Dr. Bob Burnett. I am always amazed when people come up to me and say, “Should I get a flu shot?” Now, I say amazed because I cannot imagine why you would not want to. After all, this is one of the most contagious diseases on earth. There are 20 to 50 million Americans every year get track the flu, 70 million lost days of work and there are 35,000 who die. The best single way of decreasing your chance of getting the flu is with the flu shot. Here are the key questions and answers about your options (Music Playing).
Female: Most of the worries about the flu shot, day back to the 70s when one of the early vaccines was associated with the rare severe paralytic disease known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, but those problems were quickly corrected and there have not been any other widespread problem since. Everyone six months and older should get the flu shot. However, we try to be really persuasive with people like greatest risk for complications from the flu, including children six months to five years old and anyone over 65. People allergic to egg should not get the flu because the vaccine is grown in an egg culture. Flu strains change every year, so to be protected, you need to get the shot annually. The best time to get it is in October and November. The shot takes about two weeks to take effect and last for the entire year.
Flu shots actually contain an inactive flu virus. So while you cannot get the flu from the shot, some people may experience a very mild fever or aches after it. These symptoms usually disappear within one to two days.
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