To ask if the flu jab actually does anything?

[itwasnevermine]

Started getting the flu jab last year because my work pays for it, it's kind of expected that we do get it.

I've never had the flu (I'm 25), and spent all of last winter with pretty heavy colds anyway. So does it actually do anything? I don’t know anyone who's had true flu, I'll get it cos it's free but what am I actually getting it for?

Does that mean if you get a vaccine with flu virus you end up contract 36-55% won't get flu?

Or is it saying dependent on the match - so flu viruses not in match will still be circulating - that overall it reduced risk of getting any flu that year by that much?

Well I don't know how but it definitely happened. I last had the jab in 2019 and I got pneumonia soon after I got the jab. No flu since then!. Happened in 2018 as well but 2019 was the worst i had ever had. But I still wear my mask though

I've had flu twice. So bad I missed Christmas when I was early 20s anx then again in my 40s which knocked me for 6 for weeks.

I get the jab even though it doesn't protect against all strains just the most likely ones...its all a bit of a guess.

But you may not get flu often...when you do it's not nice.

I was a bit laid back about flu jabs as I was young and healthy and had never had flu. Then I caught it. And had complications. And ended up with lung scarring.

You don't want flu, for me it was worse than COVID. It isn't common so the chances of you getting it up to now would have been fairly slim. If your workplace are paying for the vaccine I assume you're in a high risk environment (either you or your clients) so it is wise to keep taking them up on the offer. You do not want flu.

Unless you work with vulnerable people or in an environment where you are highly likely to be exposed to flu (eg healthcare, caring, a school or nursery), that is exactly why your employer offers the vaccine for free 😂 That doesn’t mean it doesn’t benefit you too.

As PPs have said, there is no way you can know whether you have had flu unless you were tested as, just like COVID, flu can be asymptomatic, mild, very serious, even fatal. The NHS offers the vaccine to those most at risk of serious illness (the elderly, the immunosuppressed, people with asthma etc) and young children (not because they are vulnerable but because they are super spreaders of the virus and the vaccine is less effective in the elderly).

It’s unlikely that you have never had flu, Studies suggest that children catch flu every other year on average, adults about every five years. You just haven’t been seriously unwell with flu. Maybe because of the vaccine.

There was a cold that went though our family - triggered breathing problems in about half of us - needing nebulous and inhalers and triggering long term asthma in some of us. Several HCP said to seperate family members it was likely a flu virus rather than one of the other 200 cold viruses out there - but how true that is not sure as no-one was testing what the virus was or explaining why they thought that.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/coldflu.html?CDCAArefVal=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/coldflu.htm

Even the CDC say without testing the type of virus because symptoms can overlap it can impossible to tell colds and flu apart - and they talk about more likely and generally - and generally flu is worse than colds but some virus and some immune systems will though up differences.

When I had it several years ago I was very ill. I live alone and I'd never felt so isolated and frightened. I've had a yearly vaccination ever since. I rarely even get colds but I'm not risking being so ill with flu again.

The real flu I had about 16 years ago was so bad I wanted to die, and was shocked I didn’t. My little kids had it at the same time but I couldn’t look after them and thankfully they recovered quicker. We were in a holiday rental for Xmas with a load of family but couldn’t participate in Xmas at all. I’ve paid for the flu jab ever since just for the chance of avoiding being that sick ever again. Covid was also nasty, but not as bad, for me. The flu jab is totally worth it, IMO

Wheres the 'injecting receivers so the 5g masts can activate you' when you need her!

Think there's something to do with the water too?

Depends on the year: it's created each year on the basis of the preceding southern hemisphere flu season. So it depends on how difficult that flu was and speed of mutation. So efficacy will vary from as low as 20% up to 80ish.

I have had flu twice and it was horrendous. I felt wretched for many weeks both times. I am very grateful indeed to be able to have a flu vacccine.

@itwasnevermine , flu changes every year an attempt is made every year to come up with a vaccine which will combat that year’s strain. The protection you get each year accumulates every year adding new strains you will be protected from so that by the time you are older your body contains many, many strains to which you have an inbuilt protection. You could never hope to achieve this degree of protection by starting to have flu jabs when you think you’re becoming more vulnerable. It’s a really good idea to have a flu jab every year even if you need to pay a modest sum for it.

Exactly this. My DH had flu and I didn’t catch it despite continuing to share a bed. It definitely works.

I just get my vaccine every year as I'm immunocompromised
Booked for my Covid and flu vaccine together in a few weeks

I've been getting jab since late 20s. Never had flu. The one year I cancelled my appointment to do something else and never got round to rebooking I got flu and it was horrendous. Could hardly eat. Was in bed for 2 weeks then weak afterwards for weeks. I'm self employed so lost loads of money. I make sure I book it early every year now. And yes I sometimes get a bit of a reaction - it's not a live vaccine but provokes your immune system to respond. Other years I've had a dead arm for a few days but anything is better than the year I got flu.

I've never had flu and I'm 43! I have had the flu jab when I was pregnant and when work paid for it though.
I just think you might as well protect yourself, just because you haven't had flu it doesn't mean you won't get it.
It's unlikely to make you very ill at your age but it's not exactly pleasant and the more people are vaccinated the less older people will end up getting it and dying

A cold is NOT just mild flu! People who seem to keep insisting it is are bloody ridiculous.
You cannot contract flu but only experience a cold. That's not a thing.

Yes it is. You can contract flu and experience everything from being completely asymptomatic through mild symptoms to severe symptoms to death (same as covid in thst way.) I have never knowingly had flu, but I have a fairly strong immune system, so I could easily have had it unknowingly. (When I had glandular fever, I had it far more mildly than two friends who had I at the same time.)

A cold is not just one disease - it might be a rhinovirus or a coronavirus.

Most people won't know exactly which disease they have without testing and generally, we don't test for flu.

Many, many diseases start with "flu-like symptoms" - if it's only mild symptoms, you're unlikely to find out exactly what, unless there is other relevant information, like having recently travelled in the tropics, which probably will inspire more medical attention, or if you are clinically vulnerable and it's worsening.

Age is irrelevant. I had real flu at 22 and it's still the worst illness I've ever had. I'm now in my 70s. I really wanted to die. I was unable to look after myself at all and couldn't get to the loo except by crawling on the floor. Telling OP that it won't be bad because of her age is totally wrong.

I had flu once when I was pregnant with my DS and I couldn't remember a lot of the week I spent hooked up to an IV in our local hospital.
The second time I got it was after my DH did (from work). He ended up developing complications (ended up hospitalised), luckily I wasn't as bad (I had received my jab that year). Both times were worse than covid.
I get quite a lot of infections. Flu is by far the worst thing I've caught.

I was 22 when pregnant, we were both 32 when DH infected the household with flu 🙃age is irrelevant

Age is irrelevant

It's not - it why the NHS gives free flu vaccinations to people over 50 (I think now) and with underlying health condition because flu is more serious in them.

Flu can be unpleasant at any age but age and underlying condition make hospital admission more likely.

They've recently started to give school kids flu vaccinations because they were a huge transmitting vector in population - ie vaccinating them reduced overall rates of flu and it can be unpleasant enough most parents think it worth trying to avoid.

She is in her 20s much more likely to shake flu off quicker and avoid complications - not guaranteed but her immune system is at peak condition so for flu around currently and her likely exposure in past it is much more a nice thing to have than for older people.

Fact she being offered it for free and she is run down suggest having may be best for but it's not as clear cut as it is for someone over 65 where it is very clearly in their best interests.

Flu is much more likely to kill at older ages than in healthy 20s - in fact does kill many every winter and in fact all year round.

Full blow flu is unpleasant at any age but how serious it is likely to be is massively affected by age.

So you get a jab and you don't get flu, and you're wondering if you should stop the jab? I mean the logic here...

Flu can make you horrifically ill at any age. The worst I experienced was when I was 19.