and almost all of the people who got the vaccination can be very sure that they will NOT die of that flu this winter.
Here is why I get the flu shot every year, for at least the last 15 or so:
Each winter, I visit my mother in Florida. She lives in a community with many elderly people. These are the people who are most susceptible to dying from complications of the seasonal flu.
If I were to bring the flu to that community, people could die because of my visit. Don’t I have an obligation as a good Jew and citizen of the world to be vaccinated? Would I want other people visiting that community that houses my mother to have the vaccine: YES.
This year I convince my wife and her mother to get the seasonal flu vaccine, just in case they come with me to Florida.
Unfortunately, we have not yet had the option of getting the H1N1 right now. My doctor only got five doses assigned to her, and she is using them for her most fragile patients, particularly the few who have bone marrow disorders or transplants. We are not in a high risk group, so we can wait until more vaccine is available.