The Reflector

It's winter again, and I notice the same thing I notice every year: Most of my friends aren't getting flu shots.

The most common excuse I hear is, "I've never had the flu, so I don't see the need for a flu shot."

Really? Are you that bad at logic? That's like saying you don't want car insurance because you've never been in a wreck or you don't wear condoms because you've never impregnated anyone or contracted an STD.

Having the flu is a miserable experience I hope to never go through again, and I promise you'll feel the same if you ever get it. Luckily, there's a vaccine against the flu every year which could prevent you from having to deal with it, but so many just don't bother to get it.

The other reason some people refuse to get flu shots is unfounded fears.

First of all, some people falsely believe a flu shot will make them sick. That is completely untrue. A flu shot is a dead, inactive virus incapable of giving you the flu, so there's no worry there.

Some people are concerned about the so-called link between thiomersal and autism. Thiomersal is a chemical preservative used in some vaccines, and some have found a correlation between the use of thiomersal and the rise of autism among children in the country. However, eight major studies have been done on the so-called link, and all eight have conclusively shown there is no link between thiomersal and autism. So any fears like that for the flu shot, or any other shot, for you or your children are completely unfounded.

Maybe you heard the news story of aspiring Washington Redskins cheerleader Desiree Jennings (whom the media would have never cared about if she hadn't been a young sexy woman).

Jennings, a 25-year-old from Maryland, claimed to contract dystonia, a neurological disorder involving involuntary movement and twitching, after receiving a flu shot in August. The case involved a media firestorm, but virtually every independent source who examined her case concluded her disorder was psychogenic, or all in her head. There was no evidence whatsoever her condition was caused by a shot. In fact, she's even been "cured" of her affliction recently, which would not have happened so soon if she had legitimate dystonia.

One potential side effect of the flu shot that is actually real is Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which can cause a paralysis in the limbs or even the entire body. Of course, the odds of contracting GBS from a flu shot have been estimated at 1-in-1,000,000.

You know what else causes GBS? The flu. In fact, the flu shot makes your chances of getting GBS 10 times less likely. So fear of GBS is certainly not a valid reason to avoid a vaccination.

Now, so far in this article I've only been referring to the seasonal flu shot. A separate vaccination is required to prevent the swine flu, or as it's officially known, the Pandemic H1N1/09 influenza.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended everyone under the age of 24 be vaccinated immediately. This includes almost all students at MSU.

The health center currently has the vaccine in nasal spray form. I went and got one last week. I was in the building for maybe five minutes, and to my surprise, it was free.

Yes, that's right. I paid nothing and spent mere minutes to guarantee I won't become yet another swine flu case on this campus. (According to flu.msstate.edu, there have been 792 suspected cases of H1N1 at MSU.)

I realize only about 7,500 people worldwide have been confirmed dead due to the current H1N1 pandemic. I was never afraid of dying from swine flu, and you shouldn't be either. (At least, no more so than all sorts of mundane things that might kill you.)

It's not death that you should be worried about. If you get the virus, you'll spend several days miserable in bed, missing school and work. That alone is worth the $0 price tag to prevent.

Oh, and the vaccine doesn't even contain thiomersal, if you care about that. It's a no risk, high reward situation. There's simply no reason not to get vaccinated.

Harry Nelson is the opinion editor of The Reflector. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

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