# The flu sucks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flu-sucks/828355>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [January 24, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flu-sucks/828355 "2019-01-24T23:20:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 35

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**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flu-sucks/828355/35 "2019-01-29T23:18:19Z")

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> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> You came back for that :smack: Yes I clicked.

You may have clicked on the link, but you apparently failed to read it. Here is the key information:

> [@CDC](#):
>
> **[Misconceptions about Flu Vaccines](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/misconceptions.htm)**
> 
> Can a flu vaccine give you the flu?
> 
> No, flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness.

> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> Here is the list of the side effects of his vaccination from [https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/flumist-2014-2015:](https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/flumist-2014-2015:)  
> Common side effects include:
> 
> fever over 100 degrees F;  
> chills;  
> runny or stuffy nose;  
> sore throat, cough;  
> loss of appetite;  
> muscle pain;  
> headache; or  
> feeling tired or irritable.
> 
> Here are the symptoms of the flu from [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/syc-20351719:](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/syc-20351719:)
> 
> Fever over 100.4 F (38 C)  
> Aching muscles.  
> Chills and sweats.  
> Headache.  
> Dry, persistent cough.  
> Fatigue and weakness.  
> Nasal congestion.  
> Sore throat.
> 
> Seems like pretty much a wash as far as symptoms go, proof that it can give one the exact 1:1 symptoms of the flu…

First of all, per your broken link, you are listing the side effects for FluMist, which is a nasal spray flu vaccine that has far more side effects than the shot. (This is likely because the nasal vaccine is a “live virus” vaccine, whereas the flu shot is a “killed virus” vaccine.) In any event, per the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/misconceptions.htm):

> [@CDC](#):
>
> The most common side effects from flu shots are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur. If these reactions occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days. In randomized, blinded studies, where some people get inactivated flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got the flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat.
> 
> Side effects from the nasal spray flu vaccine may include: runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, fever, sore throat and cough. If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after vaccination and are mild and short-lived. The most common reactions people have to flu vaccines are considerably less severe than the symptoms caused by actual flu illness.

So if your child had such a bad reaction to the nasal vaccine, the answer is to not use the nasal vaccine. Get the shot instead.

I get the shot every year, and my reaction is a little arm soreness and lethargy that lasts for a few hours. That’s it. I then take some ibuprofen and forget about it.

> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> …We were not going to subject him to the flu intentionally when he has a chance of avoiding it. And he has avoided flu the last 3 years (this year he got the flu with overall the same symptoms as the vaccine).

OK, I’m sorry, but this is complete bullshit – YOU ARE NOT SUBJECTING YOUR CHILD TO THE FLU INTENTIONALLY BY GIVING HIM THE FLU VACCINE.

Your kid might have gotten a weaker strain of the flu, or maybe it was due to quick administration of the Tamiflu, but in general, there is absolutely no comparison between the side effects of the flu vaccine and flu symptoms. The former is like being tapped in the head with a finger; the latter is like taking the swing of a baseball bat to the forehead.

As I noted in another recent thread:

> [@Got Your Flu Shot? 40% say, "No, Thanks."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/130):
>
> My wife is an RN, and has no patience for people who think the flu is a mild illness, or people who think their sore throat or common cold is the flu.
> 
> She used to say that if you think you’re dying, you might have the flu. If you start praying for death, you’re more likely to have the flu…but it’s only when you start to worry you **won’t** die that you know you have a bad case of the flu.

Personally, I have as little patience for people who don’t get the flu shot (who are otherwise healthy and can get it) as I do for people who smoke or don’t wear seat belts.

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