Why such resistance to flu vaccine? One in four people who say they won't get a flu shot say they don't need one. One in five simply "doesn't believe in flu vaccines." Another one in five fears they'll get sick or suffer side effects from flu shots.
"The myth you can get flu from the flu vaccine is out there, and we have to combat it," Schaffner said. "It cannot possibly be true. The vaccine is made up of only part of the virus and it cannot reconstitute itself. The inhaled FluMist can maybe give you a sore throat and the sniffles for a day, but that is not influenza."
If you don't worry about your own health, consider the health of others, urges Litjen Tan, PhD, director of infectious diseases for the American Medical Association.
"We have all seen an increase in MRSA complication of the flu," Tan said at the news conference. "In children, that results in increased death rates. We don't want to see that. And since infants under 6 months of age cannot be vaccinated, vaccination of pregnant women and people who come into contact with children is an excellent way to confer protection."
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