Reply To: Prevnar 13 Question

jk
November 23, 2016 at 9:19 am

If ever there were a ‘this is up to you personal decision’ after consultation with your doctor, this is one of them. I have asked this question of several doctors. Here is an online opinion regarding Flu vaccine from Pub Med in 2012:

CONCLUSIONS:

The incidence of post-influenza vaccine GBS is similar to the incidence of idiopathic GBS in the general population. Although the nonnormal distribution of post-vaccination GBS suggests that some cases may be triggered by vaccination, the greater risk of complications from influenza virus infections makes vaccination the first-line strategy for infection prevention and support the current guidelines on vaccination.

By the way, several studies of the Data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System supports this conclusion. The website is here: https://vaers.hhs.gov/index

The general reply from the doctors I have questioned goes along these lines- “That’s a good question with no easy answer. Generally speaking the risk of complications (including death) from the disease is greater than the risk of another adverse reaction to the vaccine.”

I have already agreed with Jim-LA. This a personal decision. No amount of vote taking here makes that any easier.

In answer to your question- Yes, I have recently had the Pneumococcal vaccination
• Prevnar 13 (PF) 0.5 mL intramuscular syringe. And, I have had the flu shot every year for the last 3 years.