National survey shows contradictory attitudes toward flu vaccine
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Pennsylvania has nearly 40,000 confirmed flu cases so far this season, yet 43% of respondents to a nationwide survey said they won’t get a flu shot.
In the survey of 1,226 Americans, conducted by Qualtrics, 74% of those who were not planning to receive a flu vaccination said it was due to concerns about its effectiveness, about whether it would make them sick or about what is in the vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that flu-related medical visits cost Americans about $10.4 billion annually.
Dr. Thaddeus Pajak, a physician with Excela Health Family Medicine in Hempfield, said he always tells patients, “Hey, look, I’m not the flu shot police.”
“I tell people, ‘This information is for you and your family. I tell them I get the flu shot every year along with my wife and three children, who are as young as 2 years old,” he said.
Pajak also is quick to point out that patients’ fears about the vaccine making them sick are unfounded.
“You can’t get the flu from the flu shot,” he said. “Less than 1 percent of people may have a little bit of illness in the days that follow. But most people will have a sore arm for a few hours, they’ll feel normal the next day and they’ll be protected.”
So far in the 2019-20 flu season, the CDC estimates between 13 million and 18 million people have contracted some form of the flu, resulting in up to 8.5 million medical visits, more than 120,000 hospitalizations and more than 6,600 deaths.
In Pennsylvania, Allegheny County leads the way with 6,680 confirmed flu cases so far. Westmoreland County, with 1,814 cases, is among the top five most-affected counties in the state.
Of those surveyed, 66% felt flu shots should be mandatory for public school students. However, only 55% felt employers should require the same.
The CDC recommends that all Americans six months of age or older should get a flu vaccine, with rare exceptions.
Nationwide, Americans were hit hardest in recent years during the 2017-18 flu season, when more than 750,000 people were hospitalized. Last year’s flu season saw about a half-million hospitalizations.
“I tell people that, every year, the flu is a pandemic,” Pajak said. “It’s not a scare tactic, it’s just that the annual number of infections meets that definition.”
And, if a patient still hasn’t made up their mind, Pajak said it’s not too late.
“The vaccine only takes about two weeks to be effective. So, even if it’s February, you’ve been against it but you start to see people at work or at home getting sick, it’s worth coming in to get it any time during the season,” he said.
So far this season, about 125,000 people have been hospitalized nationwide, according to the CDC, which defines the current flu season as Oct. 5, 2019, through May 30, 2020.
For the latest statistics and projections in Pennsylvania, see Health.PA.gov/topics/disease/Flu.