5 common flu vaccine excuses | Infectious diseases | Health & Medicine | Khan Academy

Many people choose to avoid the flu vaccine each year. Review five popular excuses, and how they relate to common misunderstandings about the flu. Rishi is a pediatric infectious disease physician and works at Khan Academy. These videos do not provide medical advice and are for informational purposes only. The videos are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any Khan Academy video. Created by Rishi Desai.

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[khanacademymedicine]

The flu vaccine challenges your immune system, and the only reason it works is because the immune system gets stronger. Over time, an immune system that has been challenged with vaccines every year is likely more prepared to handle a challenge like wild type virus like Spanish Flu, than an immune system that has been exposed to wild type virus some years and then had other years without any exposures at all (like taking some years off).

[ZinaidaBolboceanu]

hello, khan academy needs a video about the lymphatic system ;), please make one, it would be great

[HernandeztheHero]

You should watch "In Lies We Trust" on youtube. Its over two hours and 30 min

[Yaarbiriah]

pretty much my attitude.. I'm at home all the time anyway and husband also works from home, we're both pretty strong and healthy and find the symptoms trivial when we ever get them, and when we do, we know how to take care of ourselves and avoid complications. Our doc (Canadian) doesn't push the vaccine at all. Perhaps in another ten to twenty years or so but not now. I'm 52, never had the shot.

[alexishadfield]

I don't agree with this video, but thank you for not mocking people and actually trying to address their possible concerns.

[anonymousadvice]

You left out the KEY which is their are literally thousands of strains of the FLU and the so called FLU shot only protects against a few of them. Most of the time by the time the new FLU batches hit the market it has already MUTATED.
In other words at best it's a shot in the dark, while if you take a FLU shot you will without a doubt get the FLU in the first place, at least all the symptoms you hoped to avoid with the shot.
So then what are the benefits of a FLU SHOT???

[ericpalmer]

I'm not an alarmist, or against vaccines, but this one is definitely not proven to be worth the effort. I also don't think anyone is obligated to be part of a herd.

[drakan]

You guys should do a video about the shingles vaccine - I found out I needed it the hard way, the virus flared up in me about a week ago. Only 24 years old, always thought shingles was something older people got.

[drakan]

Yeah, I've been hearing more and more reports of younger individuals getting shingles as of late, likely because I'm just now looking for them. Don't know what the dynamics are with regard to your Immune System & supression of Herpes Zoster - Doctor reckons it's due to stress level that weakened my immune system (prior to this I haven't been sick for over 4 years). Ugh. Biology stumps me.

[khanacademymedicine]

That's true for most healthy young folks, but sometimes the flu can cause even the healthiest folks to land in the hospital. Why take that risk?

[Yaarbiriah]

one of my kids was exposed to chicken pox when she was a baby and developed shingles when she was ten years old.