I got my Flu shot today
The hospital where I work has stated that EVERYONE who works there or is employed by them HAS to have a flu shot before the first of the year to stay employed. If you don't get one you voluntarily terminate unless you have a valid(MD verified) excuse. I've never had a flu shot before and I along with alot of others resent being told we "have to". I understand the reasoning behind it, but there are alot of employee's who don't have patient contact or work from home and are being told they have to get the shot also. I'm just wondering when we became a communist nation. |
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I've been thinking about this while I vacuumed .....  I always get one - I believe in them, and also working as an RN with a compromised population it seems like such a logical thing to do. But the flu vaccine focus has changed over the years - all my grandkids have them, even baby Norah got one, and continues to get hers this year too. The real focus should be on places people gather - and indoors, sharing air, bathrooms, dining areas, phones, all that.... workplaces are certainly big potential breeding grounds. Medical facilities were the obvious originally, but now schools and colleges are targets as well, as they are high risk areas for most anything to spread! Workplaces are slowly getting it....  |
| The flu shots for older folks is a stronger dose of 4 different strains. The result will be they hurt more. Not all medical plans cover the more expensive vax. I hate being mandated to have one, but can't get an excuse not to.....in fact whenever I go to the doc, that's the first question......Have you had your flu shot? I've only had 4 in my life, the last 3 years and the Swine Flu of the 70's. |
| I always get mine, but my employer makes it really easy with mass dispensing clinics on site. It's free to employees. This year, they are mandatory, unless you have a (good, usually medical) reason to exclude yourself. I also both resent it and see the reasoning behind it. They won't terminate you, but you can get suspended without pay. We also have mandatory yearly testing for TB, although there is no patient contact. Here's my thought: In the past, I have caught some pretty nasty bugs from co-workers who wouldn't stay home when they were sick, and have had to cover extra work for people who wouldn't take care of themselves so that they could recover better. |
| I almost never get the flu, so I never get the shot. When I was in the hospital a few weeks ago, they gave me one, explaining that I was at higher risk for coming in contact with the flu since i was staying in the hospital. I had no adverse side effects, so I figure its no big deal. |
Simon's Mom wrote: I'm just wondering when we became a communist nation. Sorry to disappoint you but what happened is a result of the fact that this is a capitalist economy. I've lived half of my life under socialist regime. Even after the change to democracy people had no need to go to work when ill. Medical leave is not an issue like it is here. Maternity leave is 3yrs 45 days, where the first 45 days start 45 days before your due date and are paid 100% of you salary; the 2 years after your baby's born, you get 90% of your salary; the 3rd year you get 80%. Additionally, you get child governmental child support that kicks in automatically as soon as the baby is registered. Everyone gets two weeks vacation right from the start they get a new job. Never before I came to the US had I considered going to work while not feeling 100% well. Because staying home with the cold or the flu was not frowned upon and there was always someone to cover for you by doing the most pressing tasks you would normally perform at work. Here, even if no one would actually come and tell you you're not allowed to take time off for cold or flu, you get that LOOK, and then it goes into your performance review that you get ill a lot. And then your work doesn't get done on time because you took 3 days off instead ot stuffing yourself with Motrin, and that also goes into your performance review... |
tgir wrote: I always get mine, but my employer makes it really easy with mass dispensing clinics on site. It's free to employees... This was the first time I worked for a company who did this and since every year I catch something ugly I jumped on it. My wife always got shots through her previous employer and never got more than a cold so there was my reasoning. I hate getting sick. Vance |
| I never got the flu...then got a flu shot because my doctor insisted...got the flu that year...next year she insisted again and I told her I got the flu last time. she said it was a coincidence...got the shot...got the flu... Never had a shot since and never got the flu since Of course, now I probably just jinked myself for this year! |
| When I was in the military, they made everyone get one ...minus a few reasons (like if you were pregnant although it was still encouraged). I used to never get sick but you have 4 kids ...and your health goes down the drain. Now Mr. J says I'm always sick. I got the flu shot this year too. |
| I work at a hospital but have no patient contact. The hospital's goal is 100% compliance, so if you choose not to get a flu shot, you must sign a paper stating so. I cannot understand why anyone would object to getting a flu shot. Yeah, my arm was a little sore for a few hours but now I'm protected against that strain. Remember, flu shots are for particular strains; they don't give protection against EVERY type of flu. If you got the flu even though you've had a shot, you got a different strain. A flu shot does not cause the flu. The flu vaccine is not a live virus. |
| Mrs. J: with little kids around, you are constantly being exposed to all the bugs they are exposed to and haven't developed immunity against yet---so you get to build up your immunity, too! Look at it that way: you are all building up your immunity against all kinds of bugs. That and tell Mr. J that you need more rest so you won't catch every little thing that goes around. |
| Got my shot today too. Since we were gone when the county had the clinics we walked into the pharmacy today and they were giving them so now that's done. I have no problem with them, sometimes they hurt but the pharmacist that gave me mine was very good, have had nurses that give them none too gently so was surprised. Guess with all the stuff that goes around it's better to be safe than sorry. I had the hong kong flu when my youngest was a baby back in 1968, never, ever want anything like that again. Good thing I was young and healthy because it knocked me for a loop, great when you are the only one to take care of the kids. |
I got the flu shot too... a nurse at a pharmacy gave me mine. I never felt a thing... first time I didn't even need a band-aide she was so darn good with a needle!  I felt a little under the weather for a couple of days and was then fine. I always get the achy-arm-thing shortly after the shot. I haven't had the flu in several years so it's worth it to me. |
| It takes 2 weeks for the flu shot to become effective. The injection has an altered virus, not live. You can't catch the flu from the flu shot. It is possible to be exposed to the flu, which takes 1-4 days to develop and then get a flu shot during that incubation period. And the flu shot only has 3 strains of the flu in it - the ones most likely to send you to the hospital. They hope that there is some cross immunity with the milder versions of the flu. I get - and give - the flu vaccine every year. I work in a known petri dish of flu germs - an elementary school - and I see every sick person there. I can't remember the last time I had any flu symptoms at all - knock on wood. |
| Well, it's not a communist thing but the government is pushing REALLY HARD for hospitals to immunize all workers. And there's a reason. We have to keep the companies making vaccine in business and in this environment without direct government support. This came to light when we were really unable to produce H1N1 vaccine on a timely basis. A bad production of vaccine from a single company could have reduced our vaccine supply by half. Flu vaccine was about to be produced by a single large company, if I recall, but my memory could be cloudy on this. This year's vaccine is IDENTICAL to last year's vaccine. The exact same three strains. The government is saying that you should get a vaccine this year even if you were vaccinated last year because immunity fades. I don't believe this. This is the same government that said people who were over 65 didn't get H1N1 because they were vaccinated 50 years ago? The only possible reason is to keep the vaccine companies in business, keeping out country's ability to manufacture 110 million doses. Businesses of course don't want you to get sick and take time off and/or infect your co-workers. The unholy alliance between business and government. Then again, the companies will be around to produce next year's vaccine. I'm torn. |
| As someone who has spent a lot of time studying immunology, I can tell you for certain: immunity does fade over time. This is why we need booster shots for lots of things and a flu shot every year. As far as influenza virus: it mutates easily, meaning that people who were immune to last year's strain MAY not be immune to the new, mutated variety. And a different strain may be the prevalent one this year. And you can get flu if you are exposed to a different strain than the one you were vaccinated for. I never heard/read that people over 65 did not get the H1N1. I did know that there was particular alarm because healthy young adults were contracting H1N1, with very serious and even fatal results instead of the usual pattern of the older and very young portions of the population being most severely affected by influenza. Healthy young adults can and do get the flu but it is unusual for them to be hospitalized or to die because of influenza. Older adults, those over 65 (in general) are more likely to have serious complications from the flu. It was thought that children (and those who live/work with them) and younger adults should be a priority in vaccination because they tend to be students and live/study in close quarters with others. Young adults particularly are likely to travel about, carrying any virus they might have with them. In other words: day cares, schools, and universities are really good places to get/share flu. One reason that there is a huge push for everyone in the health care industry to be vaccinated is because of the desire to limit as far as possible the transfer of any infection from any staff to patient. Obviously, hospitals and health care providers do not want their patients to become more sick. And yes, there is a financial aspect: Under new rules, hospitals won't be reimbursed for hospital acquired infections. And of course, all employers would prefer that their staff not get sick because that increases costs/reduces productivity for the employer. It is no secret that health care costs are enormous and rising. One way to reduce costs is to reduce the amount of preventable illness. This directly reduces health care costs and also reduces economic costs by maintaining a healthy workforce. Who wouldn't prefer to use their PTO for actual vacation instead of sick days for their flu or that of their family? I was/am also disturbed by the small numbers of manufacturers of vaccine. It's not a good situation. However, it is also enormously expensive to bring such a facility up to production and it is a very, very closely regulated industry. |
| I had heard that the flu shot for those of us older adults was four times stronger than the regular one. I asked the pharmacist about it Monday and she said it was all the same. I then read that people with compromised immune systems were being given the higher dosed medication. I've felt kind of run down the last few days but that could just be that we've been on a roller coaster for the last 4-5 wks and I'm just pooped. |
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