Dear Doc,
I am a healthy busy 52-year-old male. I have never gotten the flu shot because I am afraid of needles! I can’t afford to miss work and don’t want to get the flu! Should I get a flu shot? Do I have any other options? Every year fall is marked by day lights savings time, falling leaves, Halloween, Sunday football and the beginning of flu season!

Doc,

The flu shot is a yearly vaccine given to protect against the viral infection Influenza. In the United States, flu shots are recommended for everyone six months and older. The flu can be a serious illness. The very young, the elderly, pregnant woman or those with compromised immune systems are most at risk for severe flu symptoms.

In the United States on average, 36,000 people die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized each year because of the flu. Serious flu outbreaks in the past have led to significant misery and death. The 1918 “Spanish Flu” pandemic resulted in 600,000 U.S. deaths and 50 million deaths worldwide, three percent of the world’s population at that time. In 1957, the “Asian Flu” resulted in 70,000 U.S. deaths. In 2010, the H1N1 “Swine Flu” resulted in 300,000 deaths worldwide. Fortunately, most that get the flu survive but may have unpleasant symptoms such as headache, fever, body aches, fatigue, and cough for up to two weeks.

There are many myths about the flu and the flu shot. You can NOT get the flu from the flu shot as the virus in the vaccines is dead or noninfectious. Another myth is that you can’t spread the flu if you are feeling well. In fact, 25 percent of people carrying the virus have no symptoms but may still pass the virus on to others.

The virus that causes the flu is always changing, that is why a new flu shot is made every year. Health experts make the vaccine prior to flu season by predicting which strains of the flu are likely to be common during the upcoming flu season.
Flu shots protect against three or four strains of the flu depending on which vaccine you receive. Flu shots are available in different forms. There is the standard flu shot administered by the needles you fear. There are egg-free versions of the shot approved for those with egg allergies between the ages of 18 to 49. There is a high dose version of the shot approved for those 65 and older. There is a small needle version approved for ages 18 to 64 (the small needle version injects the vaccine underneath the skin as opposed to the traditional shot that goes into the muscle.)

Also, you will be happy to know that there is a nasal spray formulation of the flu shot approved for healthy non pregnant individuals between the ages two and 49! No needles!

By the way, your fear of needles or trypanophobia, ranks 20th on the list of most common fears. This is well behind the top three most common fears arachnophobia (spiders), ophidophobia (snakes) and acrophobia (heights).

The effectiveness of the flu shot depends on how well experts predicted the flu strains for that particular year. Further decrease your risk of getting the flu by washing your hands frequently, wiping down shared equipment such as phones and keyboards and avoid interactions with those that are ill.

You have options! The flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu. Babies less than six-months-old, anyone who has had a serious reaction (rare) after a flu shot and those with allergies to any ingredients in the vaccine should not get the flu shot. The flu shot is like any other medication, there are potential risks, but in most, the benefits vastly outweigh the risks. Discuss the risks, benefits and best type of flu vaccine for you with your doctor.
Stay healthy and remember the quote by C. JoyBell C., “Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it.”

Dr. Nagpaul is a medical doctor and is board-certified in Internal Medicine. He currently is the Medical Director at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, DeMay Living Center and Wayne County Public Health. This column is meant to be educational and not intended to be used to make individual treatment decisions. Prior to starting or stopping any treatment, please confer with your own health care provider. To send questions to our medical providers, please email Dr. Nagpaul at Arun.Nagpaul@rochesterregional.org and put “Ask a Doc” in the subject line.