Family medicine physician urges the public to get a flu shot

Family medicine physician Mary Lally wants to set the record straight.

The Mayo Clinic Health System doctor practicing at Winneshiek Medical Center says the number one way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination.  She debunks ten common beliefs:

1.    You will not get the flu from the influenza vaccine.  Flu vaccines are made with inactive/dead viruses.

2.    Flu shots are not unsafe for pregnant women.  In fact, one study proved vaccinating pregnant women was 92 percent effective in preventing infant flu hospitalization.

3.    Cold weather does not cause the flu. You don't get sick from going outside without a hat.

4.    You don't have to be showing flu symptoms in order to spread the flu.  30 percent of people carrying the influenza virus have no symptoms.

5.    Getting the flu does not make you immune to it the rest of the season. It's possible to have contracted one strain of flu and still need protection from the others.

6.    If you get a flu shot and you still get the flu, it doesn't mean the shot didn't work.  If you get the flu it means that you acquired a different strain not included in the vaccine. Because of your original vaccine, your symptoms will be less severe, and it won't last as long even with the different strain.

7.    Your flu vaccination last year does not protect you this year. Flu viruses can vary from year to year, so it is important to stay up to date on vaccinations to protect against the new strains.

8.    The "stomach flu" is not actually Influenza. Most adults don't have stomach symptoms with the true Influenza virus.

9.    The flu is not just a bad cold. An estimated 36,000 people die each year from the flu.

10.    Antibiotics are not effective against the flu virus. Antibiotic drugs only work against bacteria, not viruses.