Every year, outbreaks of influenza pop up around the world. In the best case scenario for people who contract it, they feel terrible for a few days and have to take time off of work or school. In more serious cases, they are sent to a hospital and more than a few will die. So why are flu vaccines so important?

1. Flu vaccines save lives. Again, while the flu is not considered to be a big threat to people's lives, it can be. For older adults, young children, and people whose immune systems are compromised, the flu has a very real chance to be deadly. Other complications of the flu include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, increased problems with chronic illnesses, sinus and ear infections, and hospitalization. It has been estimated that between 3,000 and 50,000 people are killed every year by the flu.
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3. People who have been treated with a more concentrated vaccine formula will miss less school and work. One way to skip having to use sick days at work or to have to stay home from school is to get a flu vaccine to not get the flu in the first place. Experts have reported that the flu is responsible for businesses losing about $7 billion every year in lost productivity. People, around the country, who get the flu take an average of 111 million sick days every year.
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5. Senior citizens can get a flu vaccine tailored just for them. Flu vaccines for seniors have been developed to make sure they are as safe as possible for older adults. This makes it even less likely they will get the flu after receiving a flu shot.
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7. The flu shot does not give people the flu. There are a number of people around the United States who abstain from getting a flu shot because they are worried it will give them the flu. This is not going to happen because the flu virus in the vaccine is dead and cannot infect anyone.
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9. Flu vaccines keep everyone safe. Influenza is a virus that can spread very quickly. It only takes a few people to not get the shot to spread the illness far and wide. In public health circles, having everyone get vaccinated is called "herd immunity." When everyone has had a flu shot, it cannot be spread. If you get your flu vaccination, you help protect everyone with whom you come into contact.
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11. Every year, the flu vaccine is different. The flu changes all of the time. The flu that caused problems last year is not the same one that will cause illness this year. Every year a new formulation is developed to protect people from the new version of the flu. If you do get the flu, despite having been given the flu shot, the symptoms will be a lot less severe. Flu vaccines can confer some level of protection from a plethora of strains of the flu.
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13. The flu vaccine has few side effects. When it comes to any kind of treatment, there is always a chance that the person receiving it will experience some negative side effects. This is true of medications that are injected, taken orally, are prescribed by a medical profession, or are bought over the counter, they can cause unpleasant side effects. There are very few associated with the flu vaccine.
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15. Get it early to stay healthy. The flu season starts before people know it has arrived in an area. That means that people around you may be walking around with the virus before they know it. Getting the flu shot early in the season is the best way to protect yourself and your family.
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17. It is easy to dismiss the flu as something common and not all that serious. It is worth noting that, according to MPH Online, four of the ten worse pandemics of all time were caused by the flu. Between 1918 and 1919, somewhere between 50 and 100 million people were killed by the Spanish Flu. Flu vaccines can help prevent these global pandemics from killing so many people.