Reuters, NBC and others have been running an update on this year's flu -- why did so many people get it, despite having received flu shots?
The answer can be found right here at your friendly About.com Patient Empowerment site. It has to do with crystal balls that seem to have cracked slightly in late 2006 when the flu predictors tried to guesstimate which flu bugs would make their way around the world last year. They missed the boat.
The concern, however, is for the 2008-2009 flu season, and whether people will decide against getting the flu shot based on this year's results. Officials and medical professionals fear next year's flu will kill more people simply because they got sick this year despite getting shots, and therefore will decide against getting a flu shot next year.
I can't speak to the medical aspects of this question, but I can share my opinion about whether I, myself, will get the shot.
Yes. I will! I'm not much of a gambler, but this is how I look at it:
I can NOT get the shot, and risk getting very sick and dying.
Or I CAN get next year's flu shot and risk getting sick (not AS sick) and living.
Hmmmm.... what do you think a smart patient should do?
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