i just heard this last week and want to know what anyone else has heard.
the infection control person at my employer let us know that we will be expected to accept the flu vaccine for the upcoming 08-09 flu season.
i don't plan to accept the vaccine but i was incredulous that this edict would be passed around.
i believe we were warned that we would have to "sign a form of declination?":eek:--never heard of such a thing.
the justification for attempting to mandate such action was : "medicare will be lowering reimbursement for institutions that don't have a high-enough percentage of compliance."
I'm glad I read this thread because I have always got the flu shot. I've never had any adverse reactions other than a sore arm for a day, but now knowing that there is even the smallest risk of getting GBS, I'd rather get the flu and be sick for a few days.
Funny how work never told us about the link between the shot and GBS. :angryfire
I am all for being healthy but has anybody stopped to think about the mess we are creating. Anti bacterial this and that we are stripping our bodies of their natural flora with the alcohol gels instead of using good old fashion soap and water ( and not anti bacterial soap) We have created "Super Bugs" that are resistant to traditional treament. How in the world do they predict what strain of flu is going to be most prevalent next year (keep in mind they produce vaccines are year head if time for the next year) That's why so many people got sick last year they missed the mark. Our body's are wonderful. If by chance you do get the flu without getting a flu shot your body builds antibodies against that particular strain of flu. Answer this if it's a vaccine why do you get the vaccine every year? How many strains of flu are their. If they predict that type A is prevalent this year and you get vaccinated for it and they predict that type A is prevalent next year why should you have to be vaccinated again for the same strain again? How long does the vaccine last? What about the mercury in the vaccine? I can understand immunosuppressed individuals getting it but just because? I don't think so. I am 39 years old I have never had a flu shot and I have never had the flu. I wash my hands before each patient with each patient and after each patient.
I worked for an employer who told me i had to take the shot one time. I refused the only thing they did was have me sign a form saying they offered it free and i refused. The director told me if i called off with the flu he was going to fire me. I informed him that if i did in fact call off it would be none of his business why. Just give me my occurance that is the punishment anyway they have no right to ask you why you are calling off you are entitled to sick days and vacation days. no one can force you to take the shot.
I wouldn't take it.....I've had the flu shot before and had a horrible, horrible allergic rxn. So terrible the docs thought I had meningitis at first. No way I'm ever doing that again!
I got the worst flu I have ever had right after getting a flu shot. Would never do that again.
i just heard this last week and want to know what anyone else has heard.
the infection control person at my employer let us know that we will be expected to accept the flu vaccine for the upcoming 08-09 flu season.
i don't plan to accept the vaccine but i was incredulous that this edict would be passed around.
i believe we were warned that we would have to "sign a form of declination?":eek:--never heard of such a thing.
the justification for attempting to mandate such action was : "medicare will be lowering reimbursement for institutions that don't have a high-enough percentage of compliance."
has anyone else heard any of this yet?
i am in the midwest and we had to take the flu shot or else we had to take a class, verbally tell why we refused and sign a paper (what so if we get sick and a pt gets the flu they can pin it on us) well i buckled and took it (in the arm or somewhere else i am thinking) and as we all know now it didn't work last year we had an epidemic----everyone got sick .....really upset me that they shoved a class and a paper at us.....i understand the emp hlth nurse needind our info but just because we work in a hospital doesnt mean they can be up in our medical records -----to me this is totally against hippa because it is legally mandated for nurses ----am i right? , not like hep and all that----i really am afraid i will buckle this year too....
Thanks, I'd forgotten about that risk. Wonder, if my work insists on the flu shot, do I get workers comp as I recover from GBS?
yes that too.....Pp say it is rare but where I work I see it all the time.....and there has to be a reason they tell pp who have had GBS NOT to get flu shots...i won't go into all that here
For a long time I didn't take the flu shot because I went almost 40 years without getting the flu. I still don't get virulent flu, but I have caught it finally. So I take the flu shot and have never had a problem. I'm a pretty holistic person, but then I thought "what if during the infectious period I gave it to a patient" and so now I take it.
The concept of "the flu shot gave me the flu" is something I can't wrap my mind around. LOL
Our employer is advocates of the flu shots and strongly suggests you take it, but obviously this being America, they can't force us to take it. We have to sign a waiver that it was offered.
yeah there is a difference in the shot not working (like last year) and thinking it gave you the flu -----I know what you mean many pp thought it gave them the flu---we had to correct them and state it was a different strain than what the shot covered....so true
I got the worst flu I have ever had right after getting a flu shot. Would never do that again.
You were probally incubating the flu when you got the shot. The flu shot WILL NOT give you the ful - it is attenuated (dead) and can not cause the flu.
They didn't hit the nail on the head last year, but it is no reason NOT to take this years. And remember, the flu vaccine is only 70% effective. So 30% of the people taking the flu vaccine WILL get the ful - usually a milder case than they would have without the flu vaccine.:loveya:
You were probally incubating the flu when you got the shot. The flu shot WILL NOT give you the ful - it is attenuated (dead) and can not cause the flu.
Thanks for saying that. Perhaps some people react perhaps with "flu-like" symptoms because it's a recurring theme...."the flu shot gave me the flu, so I don't take it anymore".
Thanks for saying that. Perhaps some people react perhaps with "flu-like" symptoms because it's a recurring theme...."the flu shot gave me the flu, so I don't take it anymore".
Well, in their defense, whether it gave them "the flu" or it gave them "flu-like symptoms," either way, they felt like poo.:)
Scrubby
1,313 Posts
I'm glad I read this thread because I have always got the flu shot. I've never had any adverse reactions other than a sore arm for a day, but now knowing that there is even the smallest risk of getting GBS, I'd rather get the flu and be sick for a few days.
Funny how work never told us about the link between the shot and GBS. :angryfire