If you’re planning on getting your flu shot this season: this article isn’t for you.
We appreciate you doing that! It’s one of the many ways we can keep our senior’s community healthy when the sick season starts to kick into gear.
But this article isn’t for you. It’s for folks who are on the fence, or who weren’t at all planning to get their flu shot.
Hey reader! I have something to tell you.
You might be hesitant to get a flu shot. You might have read articles and seen commercials and every other media piece that tries to convince you to get a flu shot. And after all that, you still might have concerns.
I am here to tell you: that’s okay.
It’s normal, even. There is a medical procedure that everyone talks about that you might not quite understand. Or even if you do! You don’t know if it’s something you necessarily need.
It’s perfectly reasonable to be hesitant.
The concept is called vaccine hesitancy, and you’re not alone in feeling it. There are plenty of folks, seniors and across the general population, who experience vaccine hesitancy.
According to the UN, vaccine hesitancy can be caused by a variety of factors. It could be myths, misunderstandings or misconceptions.
It could be reasonable concerns about side effects, the effect on one’s present health or more.
I’m not going to sit here, writing at my laptop, trying to convince you that the flu shot is good for you to take. That would be egotistical of me.
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a healthcare professional. I have a degree in journalism, which qualifies me to have plenty of student debt — not to give out medical advice.
But! What it does qualify me for is to get you thinking.
Ask yourself a couple questions.
For example, If I trust my doctor with all my other medicines, my broken bones, from surgeries to common colds, do I trust them with vaccine advice?
What are the pros and cons of getting a vaccine? Not getting a vaccine?
The things I know about vaccines: how do I know what I know?
Where did I hear the things that I know about vaccines? What kind of sources gave me that information?
I’m not trying to lead you down a path where you’re magically going to want to get a flu shot.
Again, I’m not that egotistical.
Instead, I only ask this of you dearest reader.
Make an appointment. Go see your doctor or your pharmacist and ask them about it.
Let them answer any questions you have directly. They are the people most qualified to answer. All you must do is be curious.
And if you’re someone who used to be hesitant about vaccines or the flu shot, and have changed your mind, the newspaper would love to hear about your story.
Fire us off an email by contacting andrewm@unisonalberta.com
And if you have questions for some professionals: please join us on Oct. 2, from 10A.M. to 11:30 A.M. at the Kerby Centre for a discussion panel with three different medical health professionals for some expert guidance!