# Did you get a flu shot this year? Did you get the flu? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352 "2018-02-07T06:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/1 "2018-02-07T06:05:22Z")
The flu vaccine this year is especially ineffective. It’s effectiveness was being estimated around 30%, and the data now coming in shows it’s [probably even worse than that](https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/1/16960758/flu-vaccine-effectiveness). So I’m curious, how did the Doper population make out? Let’s have a completely unscientific poll with strong selection bias. By “get the flu,” I mean the real flu - a week or more completely laid up, not a couple days of sniffles and a headache. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/2 "2018-02-07T06:20:48Z")
Got the flu, got the shot about two weeks later so I wouldn’t get another strain. ETA: From what I gather, we haven’t even peaked yet, so all youse voting “haven’t gotten the flu,” don’t be so confident. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/3 "2018-02-07T06:25:52Z")
I didn’t get the shot (not recommended in my case) and so far haven’t caught it. Those members of my family for whom it’s recommended for different reasons all got it. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/4 "2018-02-07T06:32:26Z")
Always get the shot. Never get the flu. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/5 "2018-02-07T06:41:10Z")
Got the shot and no flu ------- so far. Season is really just starting for real around here (PA) and we have a couple months left. I did however get a rather nasty respiratory virus and infection that made its way around the warehouse. I’ve gotten the flu shot every year but one for longer than I care to admit. Out of all the years I have had the flu twice - the one year I missed and once a few days after getting the shot; which basically means I was already exposed and ill when I got the vaccine. There is a reason I don’t bother buying lottery tickets. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/6 "2018-02-07T06:42:46Z")
Got the flu. I think I got it from visiting a medical clinic for reasons unrelated to the flu. This was a bad flu. I was sick for 2 weeks. Even now, one month after symptoms started I still have a minor cough. ---
**Author:** ![yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yellow_sausage_bandit/32/394_2.png) [@yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellow_sausage_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/7 "2018-02-07T07:26:42Z")
Never gotten a flu shot, never gotten the flu. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/8 "2018-02-07T09:00:13Z")
I got the flu vaccine, and then later got the flu (or maybe just a bad cold). But it was much milder than a typical flu – I was only feeling ‘sick’ for about 2-3 days. After that I was still coughing some, and my voice was different enough that people didn’t immediately recognize me on the phone, though I felt well enough to continue normal activity. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/9 "2018-02-07T09:33:08Z")
Last time I had the flu was the year before I started getting flu shots. It would be twenty odd years ago now. No flu since. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/10 "2018-02-07T10:26:44Z")
So far no flu. I did not get a shot for no other reason than I just haven’t done it. I would always get it with the Army so I never had to think about it. Now that I’m retired I’m not used to doing it myself. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/11 "2018-02-07T11:37:37Z")
At my age, I can’t risk not getting a shot, so I do every year. Haven’t had the flu since I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/12 "2018-02-07T12:04:15Z")
I did get the shot, but also got very sick with what I assume was the flu. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/13 "2018-02-07T12:34:48Z")
Didn’t get the shot, didn’t get the flu. Got the flu every time I got the shot in the past. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/14 "2018-02-07T12:51:26Z")
I got the flu shot and didn’t get the flu, but I hardly think that’s a matter of direct cause and affect. I have now gotten flu shots for several years, but before then I didn’t get a flu shot for 30 years and didn’t get the flu 28 of them. It was the two years I did that convinced me to get the shot just in case it helped. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/15 "2018-02-07T13:42:36Z")
Can’t get the flu shot, I’m allergic. I got the flu. It sucked. Fortunately, I don’t get the flu every year, more like once a decade, but it always sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/16 "2018-02-07T13:44:19Z")
Note that the article the OP linked to relates to preliminary evidence of vaccine effectiveness in Canada, so the findings may not translate to the USA. You don’t contract influenza from inactivated virus vaccines. Nor have vaccinated individuals been shown to be more susceptible to influenza. It’d be nice if this season’s stats spurred a greater effort (and government investment) towards a “universal” flu shot. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/17 "2018-02-07T13:55:36Z")
Remember people, you don’t need a flu shot anyway, Jesus will provide (according to a member of Trump’s “faith advisory council”). \*"Copeland, a co-founder the Fort Worth, Texas-based Kenneth Copeland Ministries, went on to pray for those who were already displaying flu-like symptoms, telling them to protect themselves by declaring “I’ll never have the flu.” “That’s great – that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” she continued. “Just keep saying that ‘I’ll never have the flu. I’ll never have the flu.’ Inoculate yourself with the word of God. Flu, I bind you off the people in the name of Jesus. Jesus himself gave us the flu shot. He redeemed us from the curse of flu.”"\* > **[Trump adviser says ignore flu shots and 'inoculate yourself with the word of...](https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-adviser-ignore-flu-shots-inoculate-word-god/story?id=52897631)** ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/18 "2018-02-07T13:59:18Z")
For me, the barrier to NOT getting the shot is embarrassingly low. We used to have it administered free in our offices - so I’d get it. Now, I can get it at my local supermarket 3 blocks from my house - for free with my insurance. Moreover, the store gives a 10% discount on your next purchase. And even with that, I’m STILL too stupid and lazy to get it. :smack: I know all about herd protection and all, and realize I SHOULD get the shot, but I don’t. And I haven’t had the flu for several years. In the past, when I used to get the flu regularly, I was not able to see any correlation between whether or not I got the flu (which I realize is not the correct way to think about this.) So this year, no and no. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/19 "2018-02-07T14:18:31Z")
I did not get the shot or the flu. My immune system is amazing; I haven’t had a cold or the flu in decades. I attribute this to fighting off a near deadly case of TB in the 1970’s, walking outside every day, and not being so germ phobic I’m washing my hands every two minutes ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352/20 "2018-02-07T14:24:16Z")
Always got the shot, never got the flu. When I was with an HMO, they had free walk-in clinics. Now I just get one from my doctor, no extra charge. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-get-a-flu-shot-this-year-did-you-get-the-flu/808352.md?page=2)