These doctors agree: flu immunizations work and people should get them

EDITOR:
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, and one of the most admired physicians in the United States, has a simple message for the holiday season: "Catch the holiday spirit, not the flu." As medical director of the Mahoning County District Board of Health and a faculty member at Northeastern Ohio's medical school NEOUCOM, I couldn't agree more.
Here's why.
1. Flu immunization works. For those over 65, flu immunization is 80 percent effective in preventing death from flu complications. Each year over 35,000 persons die after becoming infected with influenza. The majority of these deaths could have been prevented by flu immunization. Younger people have a much lower risk of dying from flu than do our elders, but catching influenza leads to lost work time, doctor visits, and other costs. In a typical flu year influenza immunization completely prevents illness in 70 percent - 90 percent of people under 65 who receive the shot. This includes children 6 months to 5 years, especially those under 2 whose risk of hospitalization from influenza is similar to that in the elderly. While earlier is better, flu vaccination offers benefits even if you get your shot as late as March or April.
2. Flu immunization is safe. You cannot get flu from flu vaccine. You cannot give flu to someone else because you got flu vaccine. (Not only will you not get sick if you get a flu shot, you are much less likely to give flu to others.)
What about mercury? Mercury (in the form of "thimerosal & quot;) is still found in some vaccines where it is used as a very effective preservative. FDA-certified "preservative-free" vaccine is available for all children 6-23 months of age and does not contain mercury.
Vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline are mercury-free as are those from Novartis. "Flu-mist" vaccine is mercury-free. These vaccines are available both for children and for adults. But if -- like me this year -- you get a flu vaccine with thimerosal in it, how much mercury is actually in that flu shot? The same amount of mercury you would get from eating half a can of tuna. That was not enough to worry me, and it shouldn't cause you any concerns either. Don't hesitate to ask for preservative-free vaccine if you wish, but neither a yearly flu shot nor a tuna salad will do you any harm.
In fact, eating fish on a regular basis and getting a yearly flu shot are two of the most healthy things you can do. Follow Dr. Gerberding's advice: Catch the holiday spirit, not the flu. There's plenty of vaccine this year: get your flu shot today. I'll bet Santa's already had his -- no time for the flu when you've work to do.
LARRY FRISCH M.D.
Mahoning County District Board of Health
P.S: A recent correspondent wrote "Ask [your doctor] what medical school he went to that taught him it was OK to inject [thimerosal] ... into people?" I went to Harvard. Dr. Gerberding went to Case Western Reserve.