I admit it: I used to come up with all sorts of reasons for not getting the flu shot. But then my kid started daycare, got sick a lot and unwittingly passed along nasty germs to her susceptible mama. As I racked up the sick time, I decided to stop with the excuses and start hauling my family into the doctor?s office for an annual jab.
Turns out, I?m not the only one who is hesitant about the vaccine. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, only 34 percent of Canadian adults got a flu shot last year. So I asked a couple of experts to address the excuses people (like me) use to avoid the needle.
1. ?We don?t need it; my family doesn?t get sick.?

Well, that?s great, but getting the flu shot is as much about protecting others as it is about keeping your family healthy. ?By getting the flu shot, you?re also reducing the risk of transmitting influenza to other people who may get more seriously ill,? explains Michelle Murti, a Public Health Ontario physician. This includes kids under five, Grandma and Grandpa, pregnant women, people with chronic health problems and people from Indigenous backgrounds. According to a 2014 study, you can even pass on the flu if you don?t exhibit any symptoms. Last year alone, hundreds of Canadians died of influenza and another 5,300 were hospitalized. 2. ?My kids are afraid of needles.?

My daughter panics at the word ?needle,? so I was overjoyed when a nasal spray vaccine came on the market in many provinces a couple of years ago. The spra...