The flu vaccineTo get the flu vaccine or not to get the flu vaccine? This is a huge, controversial question that millions of Americans ask each year today. There are many myths that accompany the topic of the flu vaccine that cause people to question the effectiveness of the medication. The safety of our families and loved ones is our goal, but what are the pros and cons of this vaccine? What are the consequences and what are the myths, but most importantly: what are the reasons why we should get it in the first place? In this article, you will learn about the many reasons for getting the flu vaccine and how it affects different populations, starting with children to the elderly. First of all, what is the flu vaccine and its purpose? According to Wikipedia, influenza vaccination is an annual vaccination using a specific vaccine for a given year to protect against the highly variable influenza virus. Each influenza vaccine contains antigens representing three (trivalent vaccine) or four (quadrivalent vaccine) strains of influenza virus: one strain of influenza virus type A subtype H1N1, one strain of influenza virus type A subtype H3N2 and one or two strains of influenza virus type B. Flu vaccines can be given by intramuscular injection, also called a flu shot, or by nasal spray. How does it work? Once you get the flu vaccine, your immune system somehow “tricks” it into thinking it has been infected with the flu. Your body therefore produces antibodies against the virus. These antibodies bind to the flu virus and aim to destroy it. Then, when someone actually comes into contact with the real live virus, the body is armed and ready to fight the disease before it even begins...... middle of paper ...... provide to the population free flu vaccines. If this is the case, why hesitate? The CDC offers families a free flu vaccination each year. Stanbridge University students were able to attend a few flu clinics this year and help get their flu shots. I myself was assigned to the Long Beach Flu Clinic, where we were able to administer the vaccine to Long Beach firefighters. Now, we don't want our firefighters to get sick, do we? I was very happy to be a part of this flu clinic and knew that I had done my part to decrease the mortality rate or at least decrease the likelihood of our firefighters contracting and becoming ill with the flu virus. I was also able to attend the flu clinic during my rotation at Garden Grove Hospital, where we students practiced our administration of IM injections among the Garden Grove staff..