How safe is the flu vaccine in pregnancy?

Ugh. I've been dreading this one because I don't think I'm going to be very helpful here. There could be an entire website devoted to the controversy surrounding vaccines (and there is) but I'm going to try and keep this as simple as possible.

I think vaccines are one of the most major health advances we have ever had and we should never lose sight of how horrible the diseases are that they prevent.

The flu kills approximately 36,000 people every year so it's worth being frightened. It doesn't look like the flu itself will harm your baby but treating you for influenza becomes complicated while you're pregnant and if you get really sick and kick it, well, that's not good for either of you.

On the flip side, the government puts a lot of cash into telling you how safe vaccines are but they aren't as benign as they claim. Since 1988, the US government has paid out $847 million for vaccine related injuries. Not to mention, thimerosal is still in flu shots along with other crap that doesn't sound like it should be injected into you.

It's also tricky when they have to guess which flu strains are coming around the bend to make the vaccines ahead of time so they may or may not have guessed correctly that year.

So do you get the shot and run the risk of neurological damage to your kid or do you skip the vaccine and leave yourself open to a preventable and possibly deadly disease? Charming choice.

I resent the fact that people are put in this position and that greed and ass covering over shadows the safety of everyone's health. All these politicians need to stop snorting coke off hookers and come out once and for all with the risks on both sides so people can make educated choices. The air is getting thin up here on my soap box so I think I'd better drag it back into the corner before someone asks me about the food industry and I pass out.

*editor's note: this post is about adult, pregnant women getting vaccinated for the flu and not about children getting vaccines so please don't leave horror stories about a 2-year old dying of the chicken pox here. Thanks.

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