Maybe we should only consider illnesses after 1st October 2012?

I am interested in the efficacy of this season's influenza vaccine, I heard it should be very effective this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20975528

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20913979

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20910554


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My option is not shown:

- I had no vaccination, but was affected by a slight niggly cough (which seemed quite prevalent this year), but definitely not full blown flu.

The rest of my family suffered much more with this cough virus, which was difficult and took time to shift (again no vaccines .... although both my daughters required antibiotics, because theirs was a bacterial infection).

None of us are in the 'at risk' groups, so vaccination was never an option - I personally have more negative feelings to the flu vaccination, than positive.

OH got the vaccine, I did not.

We've both been sick (OH started it ) for 3-4 weeks.

Not a typical flu, though. It's sort of a cold-cough-flu combination. The flu-like symptoms come and go, but the constant dry hacking cough has persisted the whole time.

I usually don't opt for vaccination because I'm such a hermit. But I just may go for it next year.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if this really is a flu. Might just be a really bad cold. Or something.

I'm anti-vaccine, don't believe in it at all. Scare mongering and profit making ploy by the Basel drug cartels and doctors.

And a year after they release a vaccine which more than likely only gives you the flu, they ship the crap down to Africa as "foreign medical aid". Muppets.

I'm very sensitive to the flu virus (used to get it every year), so now I get the vaccine every year, and my kids too.

In the past 10 years (when I started getting the vaccine every year), I got the flu only once, and it was attenuated.

No flu so far this year, neither for me nor the kids. Actually, we've been lucky this winter, no cold or cough either so far, touch wood!

I read that the CDC reported the flu shot to be 62% effective in the US, and that the flu season started early - december rather than january. Flu map of the US shows a lot of coverage, and in the US, they're dealing with flu, pertussis and winter vomiting disease (norovirus). We were supposed to go to the US this week, but cancelled since we're getting over something and i have no desire to deal with germy airplanes and airports. The sickest I've ever been was from something i caught on an overheated airplane next to a cougher.

Over the holidays, we went to the Netherlands, where my father in law had a touch of pneumonia, my brother in law, husband's aunt and various other people had something with a nasty cough, fever. So after taking care of my father in law for a week, and after my husband came down with this weird thing, i got sick just as we left. My husband was sick for a few days, cough,fever,and then i gotthe cough, fever cold as we were leaving last week end. I was the last to get sick(FIL forgot his flu shot).

My husband's never had a flu shot, he gets only mildly annoying coughs, brief colds. I've been getting flu shots for more than 10 years, first as a hospital employee, now as a high risk person, and i seem only to get colds, coughs that last a bit longer. Maybe I've been lucky, maybe i wash my hands more but since i started to get the flu shot my colds are less severe and i've had no episodes of mycoplasma (walking pneumonia)- had 3 in my early 40's.

For me, i believe in the flu shot. Call me a muppet. Whatever. But if you're healthy, rested and if you wash your hands a lot, you may not need it. On the other hand, it does help some people.

In all of this, hand washing is really key.

If I came in regular contact with people that were in higher risk groups, such as elderly relatives or small babies, then I would definitely take the flu vaccine. We all took the Swine flu vaccine after our paediatrician recommended it with a newborn at home. Our then 3 year old son was called in to get one of the first batches.

What a load of rubbish. Check your facts.

I get it free through work, just not got around to it yet. Having said that, I'm not in a high risk group, rarely come into contact with high-risk individuals and haven't had full-blown Influenza for over 15 years now, with or without vaccination.

Anyway, a few days sick off work woudn't go amiss though, eh?

When I am out I avoid kissing people on both cheeks, I shake hands at arms length, I don't touch my mouth and I wash my hands with soap as often as practical. My friends think I am paranoic, but I point out to them that I stay healthy! I had the flu' jab in October, and I have not had even a cold this winter.

http://www.20min.ch/schweiz/news/story/30343400

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Your more likely to get a virus touching someone's hand then pushing your cheek against their cheek. I of course avoid both situations.

All of them, or just the flu ones? Vaccines have saved countless lives. Not possible. However it only protects against one (or a few? not sure) strain of flu so you're still able to get another one. Or simply get a common cold.

That's not how flu vaccines work. It is not possible to 'catch' even a mild dose of flu from the vaccine, which is totally inert.

These vaccines do not work always effectively as there are usually various strains of flu in different regions. These bitches get in strength and immunize well against commonly known medicaments. My wife took regular flu shot in Switzerland and got sick in Poland. She has contracted some kind of viral coughing infection that didn't subside easily fought by regular coughing syrups and tablets. Traditional methods like garlic & onion potions, gurgling with soda, drinking water with trace of vinegar, drinking tea with lemon and honey alleviated the effects. Luckily audible coughing eventually stopped nearly after ten days because it was so intense and annoying that had to wake up in the middle of the night. December was notably one of the worst seasons everywhere in terms of bugs running around.

Taking 5000 or 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 a day during the winter months is far more effective than the flu shot and a lot healthier as it does a lot of other good things to the body besides boosting the immune system.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

I had the flu vaccine this year and have not had any problems with colds, flu, and cough. I am considered high risk so have it every year.

The difference this year is that every time I have had the flu jab I normally have an aching arm, and where the needle goes in a painful lump. This year absolutely nothing.

This year's flu has gone crazy in my immediate group of friends. I got it and was sick for a week. Now, four weeks later, I'm nursing three fractured ribs from the crazy coughing that followed until I was put on strict orders to take vast quantities of codeine. I felt like I'd been hit by a bus.

I have fairly asymptomatic asthma, and asked my family doctor if I should get the jab next year. She told me it probably wasn't worth the effort given the 67% efficacy. Oddly enough, now that a doctor has told me I shouldn't get it, I want it for the future. First time I've caught the flu and hopefully the last.

I take 8000 IUs a day... still caught the damn flu!

I really wonder when the vitamin D daily requirements will be increased..

How long had you been taking it? It takes a few months to build up your levels.

Was it D3 or D2? D2 is ten times less effective than D3.

Also taking Vitamin D doesn't compensate for other unhealthy behaviour or lack of other essential vitamins or nutrients, you might have some other deficiency.

5 years of taking 8000IUs of cholecalciferol since I audited a nutrition course at university. I'm still not sure why I audited that course given that it's completely outside my field, I just found biology strangely fascinating that year. Everything's normal as far as I can tell since I was checked for a lot of nutritional deficiencies last year.

Not saying it won't help, just saying it's not 100% effective, given that even the vaccine is about 60% effective on average.