Flu vaccination

[80quattro]

I went to a Wedding Reception a couple of weeks before Christmas, and a fellow guest who's a friend of a friend was also there. He's a Police Officer, and is a big strapping lad who likes his ale. Fast forward to last week, and a mutual friend tells me he's seriously ill in Hospital. It turns out he got struck down with flu and this had led to pneumonia. Hes currently just left intensive care & is being fed intravenously.
I am neither over 65, don't have any medical conditions, I'm not pregnant, and I don't live in a nursing home. However, I would like to avoid catching the 'flu because - I'd rather not be ill (ref my mates' experience), and I have a family to support.
What are my chances of getting a jab at my local Health Centre? I'd quite happily pay for it.

[K77 CTR]

I think Boots and Tesco are offering them in their pharmacies or speak to your occ health if part of a big organisation.

ETA
http://www.boots.com/en/Pharmacy-Health/Health-ass...

Edited by K77 CTR on Tuesday 4th January 22:40

[80quattro]

K77 CTR said:

I think Boots and Tesco are offering them in their pharmacies or speak to your occ health if part of a big organisation.

ETA
http://www.boots.com/en/Pharmacy-Health/Health-ass...

Edited by K77 CTR on Tuesday 4th January 22:40

I wasn't aware Boots offered this. Looks like I'll pay a visit tomorrow.
Thanks for the link

[Whoopy]

What a small world, I know who you are talking about! I was chatting to his parents on Sunday and he's been in since before Christmas. He's doing ok, is on a respiratory ward now.

Can't help on vaccine advice!

[K77 CTR]

http://www.tesco.com/health/pharmacy/pharmacy_serv...

Not sure how much they are charging but might be easier as you should be able to go after work and you might win a holiday!!!

[Mobile Chicane]

If there's anything I don't bother with, it's this.

Young males are high-risk for pneumonia anyway.

Flu vaccine won't prevent that, and I can do without fking up my immune system for something that will only head off a tiny percentage of incidences.

[K77 CTR]

Mobile Chicane said:

Young males are high-risk for pneumonia anyway.

What makes you say that?

[Antonia]

By all means have the vaccination at Tesco or similar, but there is no refund when you
go on to catch a different strain of 'flu ;-)
Sorry to hear about your friend but glad to hear he is on the mend. This is the problem
with 'flu, it can lead to nasty complications.

[Bill]

Mobile Chicane said:

Flu vaccine won't prevent that, and I can do without fking up my immune system for something that will only head off a tiny percentage of incidences.

How's it going to fk up your immune system?

[karona]

Mobile Chicane said:

If there's anything I don't bother with, it's this.

Young males are high-risk for pneumonia anyway.

Flu vaccine won't prevent that, and I can do without fking up my immune system for something that will only head off a tiny percentage of incidences.

http://www.biogenicstimulants.com/bulbio/respivax.phtml

Available over the counter here, not sure if it's snake oil or not, but I've not had so much as a cold in three years of taking a 30 day course every autumn.

Edit to add it's nowhere near 40 dollars a pop, it's the equivalent of UKP3.30 a pack!

Edited by karona on Wednesday 5th January 10:39

[Bill]

karona said:

Available over the counter here, not sure if it's snake oil or not, but I've not had so much as a cold in three years of taking a 30 day course every autumn.

There's very little research on Pubmed (A - possibly the - medical research database) and it apparently only contains one type of flu virus and a few bacteria so I'd say it's luck.

[Blue Cat]

Bill said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Flu vaccine won't prevent that, and I can do without fking up my immune system for something that will only head off a tiny percentage of incidences.

How's it going to fk up your immune system?

I have had a flu jab every year for the past four years(have very mild asthma so get it free) - had both last year (regular & swine) and whenever I say to other people you should get it, I get this sort of rubbish come back to me like:
"oh the side effects of the jab are really bad"
"flu's not that bad"
"I'm not injecting that "stuff" into me"

Well apart from a slightly sore arm the day I have it done, I have never had a side effect. Having suffered flu, it's not just a bad cold and I wouldn't wish on anyone and the comment about not having "that stuff injected" was from someone who smoked - how ironic!

Also if you have the jab, you are helping stop the virus spreading as even if you are very brave and carry on, you will still be passing it to others who might not be able to cope with it as well as you

[Mobile Chicane]

Flu vaccine is linked to Guillan Barré Syndrome, an auto-immune neurological condition.

While I'm fit and and healthy, I'll take the risk of getting flu.

[Blue Cat]

Mobile Chicane said:

Flu vaccine is linked to Guillan Barré Syndrome, an auto-immune neurological condition.

While I'm fit and and healthy, I'll take the risk of getting flu.

Rubbish I bet you believed Andrew Wakefield about the MMR vaccination as well

[Bill]

It's a risk of about one in a million, if it's a risk at all, and flu is more likely to trigger GBS than the vaccine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20797646

[80quattro]

I never made it to have the jab today, got hugely tied up at work & then had to collect the nippers from school, and it went rapidly downhill from there...
Might have saved myself a few quid anyway, as I have had mild asthma in the past, so I know what to put on the medical questionnaire now
I guess theres always a downside to anything in terms of side effects, but I'm definitely having it especially based upon my mates' ongoing experience. He's fortunate in that his employer will look after him when he's ill, mine won't.

[Lemmonie]

Mobile Chicane said:

Flu vaccine is linked to Guillan Barré Syndrome, an auto-immune neurological condition.

While I'm fit and and healthy, I'll take the risk of getting flu.

really?!?!?!?!? You have obviously never had flu


At time of writing this my 34 year old female friend, fit and healthy etc contracted flu and then pnumonia and pluorisy and is in hospital......Not a pretty sight i can tell you!

[BBYeah]

Don't the vaccines have mercury / type of anti-freeze in them?

Personally I'm taking Vitamin D3 as per http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tK0n18Als

I got flu (while not taking D3) and I'm fairly sure that it helped me recover faster when I started taking it. At least it's not going to do any harm and I find the argument about it being helpful convincing personally.

[dgb00]

Mobile Chicane said:

If there's anything I don't bother with, it's this.

Young males are high-risk for pneumonia anyway.

Flu vaccine won't prevent that, and I can do without fking up my immune system for something that will only head off a tiny percentage of incidences.

What a load of bks. On every level.

I am afraid you have absolutely no understanding of immunology or vaccination.

[Paul Dishman]

BBYeah said:

Don't the vaccines have mercury / type of anti-freeze in them?

No

BByeah said:

Personally I'm taking Vitamin D3 as per http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tK0n18Als

I got flu (while not taking D3) and I'm fairly sure that it helped me recover faster when I started taking it. At least it's not going to do any harm and I find the argument about it being helpful convincing personally.

placebo at best, potential vitamin D3 overdose