I’ll admit it: I don’t like getting shots.
Not as a kid. Not as a United States Marine. Not even when I worked in hospital administration, and the hospital employee health nurse Sheila would visit my office with her annual reminder that it was time to line up for a preventive dose of the flu. I simply shook my head and declined (more or less) politely.
But this time around, things are a bit different because this year we’re battling a flu that’s something more — more troublesome, more worrisome, more scary — than the seasonal variety that I was willing to risk. This year we’re dealing with H1N1, a virulent, deadly strain of the influenza virus. It’s highly contagious and already widespread — abnormally so for this time of year — in many parts of the U.S. So even though my former job didn’t put me into daily contact with patients, if I were still working in the hospital, or in any other clinical setting, I’d suck it up. I’d roll up my sleeve and take the shot. It’s the only sensible thing to do.
Health care workers, I know some of you are taking offense at being told by your employers that H1N1 vaccinations are mandatory. But there are three very simple reasons to get the shot that outweigh any argument against it.
1. Do it for yourself.
2. Do it for your patients.
3. Do it for the people who care about you and depend on you.
The H1N1 virus is no joke. Even if you question the efficacy of the vaccine or feel your civil rights are being violated or just plain don’t like needles, the fact is your chance of contracting the flu is exponentially diminished if you have been vaccinated. And if you don’t catch it, you can’t spread it.
So yes, this year, even if you think you don’t want to and unless there’s a medical reason why you can’t, get a flu shot. You’ll be glad you did. Plus, Sheila would be proud.
Tags: flu, H1N1, hospital, immunizations