Flu Shots?

[CruisinCanine]

Living in Canada, Ontario specifically, our government highly recommends seasonal flu shots, they are free to residents of the province. Normally I don't bother, I take the necessary precautions, am not in a risk group and lived thorough two very sick flu housemates last year(who were hospitalized, spent lots of hours in emerg.(omg germ city) and never got sick. I know every year the flu strains are different but generally when you are going to cruise, do you go and get a flu shot? I am closing in on the two week mark prior to travel down thorough the US to the port to get on the ship so lots of germ riddle adventures to be had(LOL). I'm young, healthy and not in a high risk group? Looking to hear from others, particularly if you are in Ontario and cruising in December/January.

[paul929207]

We get flu shots every fall as a precaution since my wife has a compromised immune system

[6rugrats]

Your government recommends flu shots, they are free to you, you are traveling during flu season and exposing yourself to a lot of different people, and you've seen how sick your friends were.

 

What does it matter what anyone else does or what they think? It's your body and your decision. You shouldn't ask health questions on a chat board; ask your doctor. You should make up your mind soon; it takes one to two weeks after receiving the shot for it to be effective.

[tak81288]

I've never thought about getting a flu shot just for a cruise. Yes, there are all kinds of germs on a cruise ship, as well as all public places. I do wash my hand frequently and carry around a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer (mainly for port days). I also have a travel size packet of Clorox wipes to wipe down surfaces, use paper towels when opening doors...etc... I have never gotten sick while traveling.

 

If you have concerns though, I would run it by your doctor.

[riffatsea]

We always get flu shots, cruise or no cruise.

I am in favor of anything that prevents me from getting ill! My question would be , why have you NOT taken advantage of the free flu shots up until this point?

[Kartgv]

Get the shot unless you have allergies that somehow put you at risk - check with your doctor. The stress of travel, even when you're having a great time, can affect your immune system. You can take all the common-sense precautions in the world and possibly be OK, but if someone with the flu sneezes right in front of you on the elevator, you're at high risk of developing it yourself. Why take the chance when you can reduce your risk so easily?

[Keith1010]

We get the flu vaccine and started to before we hit the recommended age for them because we travel during the Flu seasons.

 

Keith

[fischymom]

I never took the flu shots when they were offered at work but I think now that I am going to be traveling more maybe I should get them.

[okgirl]

I'm hit or miss with getting a flu shot. They are free to me and I usually intend to, but often just don't get around to it.

 

When I do get them I try to have at least a month inbetween the shot and a cruise. Sometimes it invokes a more severe immune response and sometimes not, and I don't want to appear ill or be not feeling my best when I get on the ship.

 

My stepmother is 85 and got the new super-flu shot recommended for the elderly and had quite a severe reaction to it. She was sick enough to get out of bed and call me over to her house to check her vitals and take care of her (we just live next door and I used to be a nurse).....she ran a temp for about 24 hours.......was mildly nauseous and had an elevated pulse which is what scared her the most, and headache........but her simptoms were easily managed with OTC drugs........

[Keith1010]

Folks should get the flu vaccine in October.

 

I already know some people who have gotten the flu.

 

Keith

[alicam]

I've never bothered....I can get them at work, at the clinic, at my doctor...and I choose not to (and I live in Ontario)

[navybankerteacher]

Getting a flu shot does not only substantially reduce the chances of you getting the flu -- it also greatly limits the general spread of the flu: you cannot spread the flu if you are immune - and you are very likely to spread it if you do become infected and before the symptoms appear. It is not just your own comfort/health -- but that of your entire community which is helped when you get a shot.

 

In any event -- it seems pretty silly to not get the shot (especially when it is offered at no cost) and you are going to get on a ship and be in close contact with up to several thousand people -- some of whom might be silly enough not to get hthe shot themselves.

[sjcruiser]

I also get one every year cruise or no cruise. I may get a cold or "minor flu" symptoms during the season, but nothing that knocks takes me out of commission days.

[Stelladoro]

We're in Ontario and get yearly free flu shots and will be going on a cruise shortly. We get the flu shots, whether or not we're travelling over the winter season.

[feathersandnananose]

I work in an elementary school and - until this year - have never had a flu shot, though I'm always exposed to those little walking germ factories. I actually rarely get sick. (Knock on wood) However, the thought of getting the flu when going on a two-week cruise made me re-think. So this was my first year of getting the flu shot. And I admit - I'm almost 60. The immune system isn't the powerhouse it once was.....

 

My bottom line: if I got sick when I was working, I'd just miss work. If I got sick on the way to / or during a cruise, I'd be REALLY upset. So I got the shot.

 

But we each make our choices based on our priorities.......

 

Barb

[mizLORInj]

I do not get a flu shot and I do not get the flu.

Please do what you feel is best for you.

and HAPPY SAILING!! :D

[Worm61]

What a problem ...it's a dead virus that sometimes with some people comes to life & makles you very ill ..my Mum risk factor 1 had 1 flu jab never had any more ..Mother-in-law ill for 3 weeks O/H took a jab & was in bed after for a week ...i threatened if he another he looked after himself i was fed up cooking ..me i won't have one especially before going on holiday :eek:

[CruisinCanine]

Thanks all for your comments and views!

[dforeigner]

Folks should get the flu vaccine in October.

 

I already know some people who have gotten the flu.

 

Keith

 

Correct, if one is going to get the flu shot, it should be late September or early October. There needs to be an incubation period before the body builds an immunity. The vaccine is not a guarantee not to catch the flu. There are many different strands out there.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

[Gonzo70]

What a problem ...it's a dead virus that sometimes with some people comes to life & makles you very ill ..my Mum risk factor 1 had 1 flu jab never had any more ..Mother-in-law ill for 3 weeks O/H took a jab & was in bed after for a week ...i threatened if he another he looked after himself i was fed up cooking ..me i won't have one especially before going on holiday :eek:

 

Sorry, but that is completely untrue., The virus cannot come back to life. One cannot become sick from the flu shot. The flu shot is only about 80% effective, so sometimes people still become afflicted with the flu after the shot (though you are much more likely to catch the flu if you do not receive the shot). Also the shot takes a while to take effect, so one is still vulnerable for a week or two after receiving the shot. One can also be serendipitously afflicted with a cold or other malady in close proximity to one's flu shot and subsequently mistakenly attribute their illness to the flu shot. For the vast majority of people it is far safer to be inoculated than to go without.

[maryann ns]

Right now in Nova Scotia the Provincial Heath Dept. has ads on TV urging us to get our flu shots, so at least for here, it is certainly not too late.

 

The actual number of people who get a bad reaction from a flu shot is very low. On the other hand, every year there are deaths from complications arising from the flu.

 

If most of us got the shots, flu would not be able to spread. That is what my nurse pratitioner told me the other day when I got my shot.

[navybankerteacher]

Right now in Nova Scotia the Provincial Heath Dept. has ads on TV urging us to get our flu shots, so at least for here, it is certainly not too late.

 

The actual number of people who get a bad reaction from a flu shot is very low. On the other hand, every year there are deaths from complications arising from the flu.

 

If most of us got the shots, flu would not be able to spread. That is what my nurse pratitioner told me the other day when I got my shot.

 

Exactly -- getting a flu shot is not only simple common sense from your own point of view -- it is simply a responsible way of reducing the spread to everyone else.

[6rugrats]

What a problem ...it's a dead virus that sometimes with some people comes to life & makles you very ill ..my Mum risk factor 1 had 1 flu jab never had any more ..Mother-in-law ill for 3 weeks O/H took a jab & was in bed after for a week ...i threatened if he another he looked after himself i was fed up cooking ..me i won't have one especially before going on holiday :eek:

Must have been a zombie flu virus.

 

Sorry, but that is completely untrue., The virus cannot come back to life. One cannot become sick from the flu shot. their illness to the flu shot. For the vast majority of people it is far safer to be inoculated than to go without.

Exactly right. The influenza viruses contained in a flu shot are inactivated (killed), which means they cannot possibly cause an infection. Agree, poster's family members just happened to get ill with something else after receiving a vaccination.

[Worm61]

Sorry, but that is completely untrue., The virus cannot come back to life. One cannot become sick from the flu shot. The flu shot is only about 80% effective, so sometimes people still become afflicted with the flu after the shot (though you are much more likely to catch the flu if you do not receive the shot). Also the shot takes a while to take effect, so one is still vulnerable for a week or two after receiving the shot. One can also be serendipitously afflicted with a cold or other malady in close proximity to one's flu shot and subsequently mistakenly attribute their illness to the flu shot. For the vast majority of people it is far safer to be inoculated than to go without.

I don't care if any doctor says you can't get ill after having the flu jab ...but these people were ill the day after ,i also worked with a woman who never had a day off work ,she also walked a few miles to work & walked all the way home her & the few others including the boss were not in the day after having the jab & no they were not ill before having it ...my mum only had the one jab after getting the thing she had the jab for & never had another ..as i said some are ok with having it ..i suppose you have to have the first one to find out if you are ok with it or never have it again ...even my O/H 's doctor has said some are ill after ..& you are still putting a foreign body into your own body...:rolleyes: it's not for me

[Gonzo70]

I don't care if any doctor says you can't get ill after having the flu jab ...but these people were ill the day after ,i also worked with a woman who never had a day off work ,she also walked a few miles to work & walked all the way home her & the few others including the boss were not in the day after having the jab & no they were not ill before having it ...my mum only had the one jab after getting the thing she had the jab for & never had another ..as i said some are ok with having it ..i suppose you have to have the first one to find out if you are ok with it or never have it again ...even my O/H 's doctor has said some are ill after ..& you are still putting a foreign body into your own body...:rolleyes: it's not for me

 

If they got sick the day after the flu shot, they would have gotten sick even had they not obtained the flu shot. It is IMPOSSIBLE to become catch the flu from the flu shot. A small number of people experience an allergic reaction, but this is something completely different from catching the flu from the flu shot. There is no live or active virus in the flu vaccine.