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Comment by joegahona | Hacker News Reader

I'd love a more comprehensive discussion about the flu shot, because I've only used anecdotal evidence, and I suspect a lot of other people do the same. The first two years I got the flu shot from my employer at the time was 2007-2008, and I got a violent flu both years. Didn't get one after that for years, until last Feb, when I felt like I was going to die. Eventually went to urgent care, where I got fluids and sheepishly acknowledged to the nurse that I skipped my flu shot. She kinda shrugged it off and said, "Eh, it's about 50/50 whether it will work anyway."

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We have lots of actual scientific evidence on this.

The flu shot can't give you the flu. (The nasal spray can! Your doc will recommend against it if you're in certain categories, like being immune suppressed.)

The efficacy varies from year to year, because they have to make an educated guess at which strains will be most prominent each year.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/past-seasons-estimates...

50/50 is fine, for the same reason even imperfect handwashing and social distancing are better than nothing.

Since we are speaking anecdotally, I have had the flu shot every single year since 1994, which was the last time I got influenza. I have three kids and all of them get the shot every year too. They have never had influenza either. It works.

The problem with anecdotes around the flu shot is there's a clear bias involved. If you get the shot and end up getting the flu its because the shot didn't work. If you get the shot and don't end up getting the flu it might be because the flu shot was effective, or it could also be because you just didn't come in contact with the virus. You always get a reminder of when it doesn't work and you (almost) never get a reminder of when it does work.

Just to throw my anecdote in there, I'll always get the flu shot if its convenient, but won't usually go out of my way to get it. This year I didn't get it, but my pregnant wife and daughter did as part of their regular visits. I ended up getting the flu and was violently sick, and my wife and daughter who almost certainly came in contact with the virus from me had no symptoms at all.

> getting the flu and was violently sick

That's what it took for me. Now I always get the flu shot, even if inconvenient. The last time I had the flu, it hurt so bad that I swore I'd never miss the flu shot again. Haven't got the flu since, which is part luck and part shot, but still, I'll take whatever protection I can get.

The CDC has all your answers about flu shots:

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm

The flu shot is not just about you but also community at large. People mistakenly assume that the flu shot didn't work but it did the strain you got the shot for did not spread because a large part population was immune to it. As a result the strain people were not immune for got the chance to spread.

I think Freakonomics did a fantastic piece on the flu shot and the low vaccination rate. This answers a lot of the questions being tossed around in this thread:

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-doesnt-everyone-get-the...

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