I dont understand nationwide flu vaccine frenzy?

[thekingofpain]

No vaccine available---and this flu is proving to be very/unusually dangerous---does the vaccine even help?

We have had problems with vaccine availability in the past few years---why cant we be better prepared for this, dont the makers of the vaccine anticipate the need?
Now here we go again, over 20 children dead, elderly dieing as well---you cant get a flu shot at any price---and when you can its sporadically available if you are willing to endure a 3 hour wait---I just saw on the local news the best spot to get it is at your local International airport that has an onsite Hospital...

Good luck, its 50 state wide and very debilitating-----dont hesitate to go to or take someone to the emergency room if their condition becomes extreme...

[RADAR1797]

Supposedly the vaccine lessens the consequence of the strain, even though they are only similar and not exactly the same.

-RADAR

[RedFury]

Bah, I'm not worried about it...I'm as healthy as an Ox.







.....cough.

[NeoStarO1]

Ya i don't understand why its hard to get the flu vacs. my brother in law was off work for a week because his father was ill and when he came back to work a week later, two of is co-workers were dead due to the flu virus going around. that has to be freaky going back to work and learning two of your co-workers are dead.

[links]

I had the flu and had a flu shot. Personally I wouldn't get a flu shot if I didn't need it but having no spleen the docs said I should so I did. Doesn't seem like its helping most of the people since its a different strand than what was in the recipe.

[Bovon]

There are many different strains of the flu virus. The vaccine is planned for the next flu season far in advance. I suspect the 2004 season planning is well under way right now. The problem is, it takes so long to culture the stuff to make it, and if a new (or old one) that nobody saw coming happens along, the vaccine being made will not work that well.

CNN said this week while interviewing some of the labs that take part in making the vaccine, that over 2 million doses were destroyed last year because not as many people took the shot as was expected. 2 million doses cost somebody a bundle.

Its an absolute must for me to take the shot. If I catch the flu with my other medical problems...I'm a goner. This year with the unknown strain that the vaccine is not prepared to control..has me worried.

[tgxiii]

The weirdest thing happened to me. The day I got my flu shot I got sick. It's not the flu shot reaction where you get a mild symptom of it. I mean, I was REALLY sick for a whole week. I must have gotten the flu right before getting the shot.

[skuz]

I received the vaccine last year for free since I was working at a hospital.

This year it wasn't free and I needed an appointment, I pushed it further until I forgot about it and now the vaccination is over.

[DRIVER J.R.]

i never got a flu shot and usually i don't get sick, but this week i've used up half the schoool's suply of cleenex

[DRIVER J.R.]

*blows nose*