Personal reasons weigh heavily on flu shot decision

UW study shows there’s skepticism about vaccine

WATERLOO — Many people are still skeptical about the flu shot, questioning its value and effectiveness, a new University of Waterloo study has found.

Only about one-third of people get the flu shot, despite it being free for everyone in Ontario. The Waterloo study, recently published in the Journal of Health Communication, aimed to find out the reasons why people didn’t get protection against influenza.

For many, the reasons they opted not to get the flu shot were very individually focused.

“Personal experience plays a much heavier role,” said Samantha Meyer, a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at Waterloo, and the study’s lead author.

“There’s a different way we think about the flu vaccine.”

The majority of people who didn’t get a seasonal flu shot have concerns about vaccine effectiveness or a belief they have a strong immune system and won’t be affected by the flu. Moral and religious reasons were also cited, along with poor vaccine experiences in the past.

However, Meyer said, getting the flu shot goes beyond the individual.

“It’s important that we look out for the health of the population,” Meyer said.

A certain percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated to interrupt the spread of the virus and attain “herd immunity.” For the flu, 80 per cent of healthy people and 90 per cent of at-risk individuals need to get the shot.

Each year, about one in 10 Canadians get the flu, and it’s responsible for more than 12,000 hospital visits and 3,500 deaths.

Although the level of protection offered by the flu shot varies each year based on how well the predicted strain matches the annual strain, influenza rates have significantly decreased since the province introduced the universal immunization program in 2000.

“Regardless, you’re taking a risk by not getting the flu vaccine,” Meyer said. “It’s safer to get the vaccine than not get the vaccine.”

She urges people to talk to their health-care provider about any concerns they may have about the flu shot to make an informed decision.

A lot of misinformation circulates about the flu shot, Meyer said. “The flu vaccine is safe, and you can’t catch the flu from the vaccine.”