The Student Prints

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The Student Prints

The Student Prints

Should you get a flu shot?

It’s that time of year, the time where we find ourselves getting bombarded with flu shot commercials along with advertisements on billboards and on our favorite websites. Some people find themselves in panic mode trying to gather up their family and rush them down to the nearest Walgreens or Rite Aid to get their seasonal flu shots.

These shots are not a required vaccine so it is up to you if you want to get one. In 2013 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention did a study to see just how many people got their seasonal flu shot. According to their report, 56% of children from six months to 17 years of age got their flu shot, and 42% of adults received theirs.

Flu shots are unnecessary, I haven’t gotten seriously sick in years and I’ve never once gotten the flu shot.

I blame this on how I was raised, considering my mom swears against flu shots at all costs. However, I think this is a personal opinion that everyone needs to make for themselves. If you want to get a flu shot to make yourself feel more safe, then far be it from me to tell you that they’re a waste of time. If you don’t want to take my word for it then maybe you should ask science.

One controversial topic associated with shots relates to the ingredients they contain. The most well known is Thimerosal. This is a mercury based preservative that has been associated with brain and immune system disfunction.

According to 51 studies published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, they found that the flu vaccine was no more effective for children than a placebo. Instead of getting a flu shot maybe you should consider adapting certain lifestyle habits that can make your bodies natural immune defenses stronger.

Isabelle Compton, Staff Writer

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