Flu vaccines are perfectly safe for healthy adults unless you are allergic to eggs. They only include 3 strains in the shot each year. If you are getting a flu shot and still getting sick you either a. got a really bad cold or b. got a strain of flu not included in the shot. Again, there are tests they can do to find out if you actually have flu and which strain. I didn't get my flu shot this year and I didn't get sick. I also stopped working at a middle school in July. Gee... I wonder which one it was
I haven't actually had INFLUENZA since I've been getting my shots (for like 10 years, they lined us up in the college dorms and stuck us!) I did have a really bad cold last year that I thought was the flu, but it was not (I got a swab test and I got better in 4 days). The flu lasts for like TWO WEEKS. If you get a cold it lasts a few days with maybe 1 or 2 really bad days. If you have the flu there should be no mistaking it
Please see my post earlier in the thread regarding "stomach flu" vs influenza
I asked my Doctor today about getting last year's flu shot and she said it's not worth it at this point in the year, wait until fall. They were not super worried about it. We did have one middle school close due to a suspected case but no confirmed cases here yet. LOTS of people wearing masks, but I was also grocery shopping in the town with the closed school (hey, that's where Traders is!) The doctor's office had masks available and a sign to wear one if you were sick (I was not, just picking up my orthotics... I sure picked the wrong day to do that!) Actually, the masks in the doctor's office are a great idea - I think they should keep that one!