Last October, I watched a grown man argue with Denise, our pharmacy’s head pharmacist, for twenty minutes about how the flu shot gave his cousin’s neighbor autism. Denise, who has the patience of a saint and three decades of experience, just nodded and said, “Sir, the flu shot doesn’t have that power. But the flu killed 32,000 people last year.”
He left without the shot, muttering about government conspiracies. This happens every single day during flu season.
“The Flu Shot Gave Me the Flu”
This is Denise’s favorite myth to debunk because it’s physically impossible. “The flu vaccine contains dead virus particles,” she explained to me during a slow Tuesday. “Dead things can’t infect you. It’s like being afraid a chicken nugget will start clucking.”
What people experience is their immune system doing its job.
Nurse Giving Shot To A Patient’s Shoulder.
Some folks feel crummy for a day or two after the shot—mild fever, sore arm, maybe some fatigue. That’s not the flu. That’s your body building protection. The actual flu knocks you flat for a week, makes you pray for death, and can land you in the hospital.
My uncle swears he got the flu from the shot in 1987. Every year, same story. Denise finally pulled up his pharmacy records. “You got your shot October 15th and had the flu November 28th,” she told him. “You caught it from someone else six weeks later because the shot wasn’t 100% effective. But imagine how bad it would’ve been without any protection.”
“I Never Get Sick, So I Don’t Need It”
Karen from my office said this every year. Young, healthy, ran marathons. “My immune system is rock solid,” she’d brag while the rest of us lined up at the pharmacy in October.
Then last year happened. Karen caught the flu in January, missed three weeks of work, and ended up in the ER with dehydration. “I thought I was dying,” she told me later. “Like, actually dying. I couldn’t even keep water down.”
Tom, the pharmacy tech, has heard every version of this. “People think the flu is just a bad cold,” he says. “Until they get it. Then they’re first in line next October.”
The thing is, healthy people are exactly who should get the shot. Your strong immune system makes the vaccine work better, and you’re protecting people who can’t fight off the flu—babies, elderly folks, people with cancer.
“It’s Just Big Pharma Making Money”
My neighbor Phil loves this one. “Follow the money,” he says, like he’s uncovered some huge secret. So I asked Denise about it one day.
“You know what makes pharmaceutical companies real money?” she said. “Tamiflu. Hospital stays. Pneumonia treatments. The flu shot costs them pennies to make and prevents all that expensive treatment. If they were really evil geniuses, they’d want everyone to skip the vaccine.”
Most insurance covers flu shots completely. The pharmacy makes maybe ten bucks profit per shot. Meanwhile, my cousin’s flu-related hospital stay last year? $8,000. Phil’s conspiracy theory is backwards.
“The Shot Doesn’t Even Work”
This one has a kernel of truth that gets twisted. The flu shot isn’t perfect. Some years it’s 60% effective, some years it’s 30%. Depends on how well scientists predict which strains will circulate.
“Imagine you’re buying a lottery ticket,” Denise explains to skeptics. “One gives you a 50% chance of winning, one gives you 0% chance. Which do you buy?”
My mom got the flu two years ago despite being vaccinated. But here’s the thing—she was sick for four days instead of two weeks. No hospital, no pneumonia, no missing Christmas. “Reduced severity is still a win,” her doctor said.
Mark, who works the pharmacy drive-through, puts it this way: “Seat belts don’t prevent 100% of car accident deaths. Do you skip wearing one?”
“I’m Allergic to Eggs”
This used to be legit. Old-school flu vaccines were grown in eggs. My friend Jennifer actually couldn’t get flu shots for years because of her severe egg allergy.
But that was then. Now there are egg-free options. Denise keeps three different types of flu vaccine in stock. “Unless you’re allergic to being healthy, we’ve got something for you,” she jokes.
Jennifer got her first flu shot three years ago using the cell-based vaccine. No eggs, no reaction, no flu that winter. “I felt like I’d joined a secret club of protected people,” she said.
“It’s Too Early/Late in the Season”
Every August, people start asking about flu shots. Every March, people say they missed their chance. Both groups are usually wrong.
“October is ideal,” Denise tells everyone. “But September works, November works, even December isn’t too late. Flu season peaks in February. Getting vaccinated in January still helps.”
My dad waits until November every year because he’s convinced getting it too early means it’ll “wear off.” There’s actually some science to that for people over 65, but for most of us? Get it when you can.
“I Got It Last Year”
This one makes Denise’s eye twitch. The flu virus mutates constantly. Last year’s shot protects against last year’s flu. It’s like wearing last year’s winter coat in this year’s blizzard—better than nothing, but not ideal.
“Think of it like your phone updates,” Tom explains to confused customers. “You need the new version to protect against new threats.”
My teenage son tried this excuse. “I’m probably still immune from last year,” he said. Denise overheard and launched into her virus mutation speech. He got the shot.
“Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Get Vaccinated”
This myth actually scares Denise because it’s so dangerous. Pregnant women are exactly who SHOULD get flu shots. The flu during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature birth, and birth defects.
“We had a pregnant woman refuse the shot because her mother-in-law said it was dangerous,” Denise told me. “She got the flu at seven months and delivered early. Baby spent six weeks in NICU. All preventable.”
The antibodies pass to the baby, protecting them for their first six months of life when they can’t be vaccinated. It’s like a two-for-one deal on protection.
The Reality Check
Here’s what your pharmacist really wants you to know: they’re not pushing flu shots because they’re bored. They’ve seen what the flu does. They’ve had customers hospitalized, had regular patients disappear for weeks, had elderly customers not make it through flu season.
“I’ve given thousands of flu shots,” Denise says. “Never had anyone seriously harmed by one. But I’ve seen plenty harmed by not getting one.”
Last week, Phil—my conspiracy theorist neighbor—showed up at the pharmacy. His wife had been hospitalized with the flu, and he’d been taking care of her. “Just give me the shot,” he said quietly. No arguments, no money-following, no debates.
Sometimes it takes seeing the flu up close to understand why that little shot matters. The pharmacists see it every year. They’re not trying to trick you or make money off you or inject you with tracking chips. They’re trying to keep you from ending up like Karen, like my cousin, like Phil’s wife.
Get the shot. Deal with the sore arm. Feel crummy for a day if your immune system’s dramatic. Then go about your winter not worrying about whether that cough on the bus or that sneeze at work is about to knock you flat.
As Denise says every October, “I’d rather have a sore arm than a tube down my throat.” Hard to argue with that logic.
