The very good news about flu shots is that
they work.
And they’re safe.
First, a recent study estimated that flu
shots (which are recommended for nearly everyone in the US) resulted in 13
million fewer infections over a 6 year period in the US.
That’s 13 million, a pretty impressive
number.
Then, a second study from the meticulous
record-keeping Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, California,
concluded that there is no evidence that flu shots cause Guillain-Barré
syndrome (GBS), which is has long been one of the main concerns about this
vaccine.
Bottom line: flu shots are not perfect.
In fact, they are not even very good
vaccines in the very elderly.
But they’re all we have and they work and
are safe.
Get your flu shot when it becomes available
this fall.
