09/28/2018
I'm a broken record on this, but get your flu shot. The flu is a serious illness. Depending on how it mutates each season, it can be mild or devastating. It can kill you by putting your immune system into overdrive which is why the 1918 flu killed so many young people. If can kill you by making you more susceptible to pneumonia, which can overtax your heart and body. It's also damned miserable to suffer through the high fever, muscle aches, chills, etc.
Please note - children with neurological conditions, like Angelman Syndrome or Pitt Hopkins Syndrome are more likely to suffer complications from the flu.
From the article:
"Dr. William Schaffner, medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said that those who get flu after receiving vaccine are less likely to require hospitalization and they're less likely to die."
Also note: IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CONTRACT THE FLU FROM THE SHOT. Incubation can take up to 10 days after a real exposure, so if you get the flu right after getting the shot, you already had the flu. You may experience a mild reaction to the vaccine (with fever and some aches) because that's your immune system doing its job.
The 2017-2018 flu season was one of the deadliest in decades according to the CDC. An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter.