# Who got/is getting a flu jab this year?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 27, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919 "2005-11-27T14:21:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919/41 "2005-11-29T15:10:11Z")

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Last year due the “shortage” I didn’t get a shot - I got the flu and was out for  
a week in January. My company doesn’t give “sick” time, so there went one week of vacation.

I vowed this would never happen again.

So when they started with the shortage crap again I whined to my doctor so much that he relented and gave me the shot.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919/42 "2005-11-29T15:35:00Z")

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> [@Poonther](#):
>
> Question?
> 
> Does taking the flu shot work like taking antibiotics too much? Meaning if you keep getting it (the shot) and then whammy, some flu comes around that wasn’t in your vaccine or somehow u get the flu, you get it three times worse because the drugs don’t work on it as well?
> 
> That said, I’ve not had the flu in about 20 years (knock on wood!) I’ve never taken the flu shot and I’ve not taken antibiotics in over ten years. Next time I need antibiotics it should knock the hell outta what I got…I hope!

Oh, Lord, no. Vaccines contain a little of the virus (so to speak), and stimulate the immune system to make antibodies. The immune system is then primed to fight the virus when it first shows up, instead of taking days to ramp up the defense. Repeated vaccinations can only reinforce this. Flu shots are also different every year, so there’s no comparison. Antibiotic resistance is so far, far away from this that I can’t even think of a segue.

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**Author:** ![TheHayley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@TheHayley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheHayley)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919/43 "2005-11-30T03:44:31Z")

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I volunteer at the hospital so it was important I get the shot… I live in Ontario, Canada so we get it for free!!!

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**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-got-is-getting-a-flu-jab-this-year/332919/44 "2005-11-30T03:49:20Z")

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Another hospital worker here. They came around to Radiology and said, "Line up, " and we all got 'em.

They also told me I was too young for the pneumonia vaccine. That’s good…I guess.

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