(ALTON, Ill.) - The line in the pharmacy department stood six deep at the Walgreens on State and Delmar on Thursday afternoon, with many people waiting to receive a flu shot. “We do anywhere from nine to 50 flu shots a day,” said Emily Anderson, pharmacy manager at Walgreens.
Anderson said the Walgreens pharmacy typically gives out the most flu shots a year among the local pharmacies, having given out about 1,300 in two months.
The debate on the necessity of the seasonal flu vaccine has been an ongoing argument since the vaccine became widely available to the United States in 1945. Many are skeptical about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. “It’s just a ploy from Big Pharma to take our money and poison us,” said Bill Gorman, who …show more content…
“I really feel it is my responsibility to try to protect the health of my children and the ones I care for,” said Myra Lopez, a mother of a 7-year-old and 5-month-old who also works at a daycare center.
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a news conference that this year’s predominant strain of the flu - called Influenza A or H3N2 - is associated with the worst flu seasons, meaning this year’s flu season could be especially bad.
The current strain of H3 circulating is different from the H3N2 virus included in this year’s flu vaccine, minimizing the effectiveness of the flu shot this season, said Frieden. This different strain is called a drifted strain.
Despite this problem, the CDC still recommends individuals get the flu shot.
“We continue to recommend flu vaccine as the single best way to protect against the flu,” said Frieden. “It’s still our best tool to prevent …show more content…
Katie Drake-Sherer, a chiropractor and certified internal health specialist at Bemis Chiropractic, says the CDC is not always right about which strains to include in the vaccine. As a certified internal health specialist, Drake-Sherer is qualified to diagnose and treat diseases that affect adults.
“Sometimes they’re right, other times they’re not,” said Drake-Sherer of the CDC.
Instead of the flu shot, Drake-Sherer advocates a different approach to preventing the flu.
“A much better alternative to the flu shot is vitamin D,” said Drake-Sherer.
“Vitamin D is scientifically proven to be much more effective than a seasonal flu shot,” according to Drake-Sherer. Effectiveness aside, many argue against the flu shot because they deem it unsafe. The chemicals contained within the flu shot sparks the major debate regarding its safety.
According to the CDC’s website, the common substances found in the vaccine includes aluminum salts, antibiotics, egg protein, formaldehyde, sugars, and thimerosal.
Some claim thimerosal could be toxic to people, but the CDC says otherwise.
“There is no evidence that the small amounts of thimerosal in flu vaccines causes any harm,” according to the CDC’s website.
A final argument against the flu vaccine is it will make the people who receive it sick. Medical professionals often dismiss this objection as
Anderson said the Walgreens pharmacy typically gives out the most flu shots a year among the local pharmacies, having given out about 1,300 in two months.
The debate on the necessity of the seasonal flu vaccine has been an ongoing argument since the vaccine became widely available to the United States in 1945. Many are skeptical about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. “It’s just a ploy from Big Pharma to take our money and poison us,” said Bill Gorman, who …show more content…
“I really feel it is my responsibility to try to protect the health of my children and the ones I care for,” said Myra Lopez, a mother of a 7-year-old and 5-month-old who also works at a daycare center.
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a news conference that this year’s predominant strain of the flu - called Influenza A or H3N2 - is associated with the worst flu seasons, meaning this year’s flu season could be especially bad.
The current strain of H3 circulating is different from the H3N2 virus included in this year’s flu vaccine, minimizing the effectiveness of the flu shot this season, said Frieden. This different strain is called a drifted strain.
Despite this problem, the CDC still recommends individuals get the flu shot.
“We continue to recommend flu vaccine as the single best way to protect against the flu,” said Frieden. “It’s still our best tool to prevent …show more content…
Katie Drake-Sherer, a chiropractor and certified internal health specialist at Bemis Chiropractic, says the CDC is not always right about which strains to include in the vaccine. As a certified internal health specialist, Drake-Sherer is qualified to diagnose and treat diseases that affect adults.
“Sometimes they’re right, other times they’re not,” said Drake-Sherer of the CDC.
Instead of the flu shot, Drake-Sherer advocates a different approach to preventing the flu.
“A much better alternative to the flu shot is vitamin D,” said Drake-Sherer.
“Vitamin D is scientifically proven to be much more effective than a seasonal flu shot,” according to Drake-Sherer. Effectiveness aside, many argue against the flu shot because they deem it unsafe. The chemicals contained within the flu shot sparks the major debate regarding its safety.
According to the CDC’s website, the common substances found in the vaccine includes aluminum salts, antibiotics, egg protein, formaldehyde, sugars, and thimerosal.
Some claim thimerosal could be toxic to people, but the CDC says otherwise.
“There is no evidence that the small amounts of thimerosal in flu vaccines causes any harm,” according to the CDC’s website.
A final argument against the flu vaccine is it will make the people who receive it sick. Medical professionals often dismiss this objection as