Flu Jab And The Common Cold

[fruitsalad]

OH has flu jab once a year and whether its by coinsidence or it does help he seems to stay clear of the common cold, where I on the other hand get 3 or 4 colds, I am wondering if it would be worth me paying to have it this year, anyone else have the jab and stay cold free?

[Sqad]

\\\\I am wondering if it would be worth me paying to have it this year, anyone else have the jab and stay cold free?\\\

No, the Flu jab has no effect against the common cold viruses.

[Sir Alec]

I take those nice chewable vitamin C tablets and rarely get a cold.

[Jackdaw33]

Chew half a clove of raw garlic per day. Magic! After a while the smell is no longer detectable on you.

[petal54]

I've found it usefull,but do not have it if you've a cold.I have MS so get jad anyway.

[Canary42]

////No, the Flu jab has no effect against the common cold viruses.////

This is a very bold statement from a profession which can't even prevent or cure the common cold !

[Jackdaw33]

Not only does the flu jab not prevent colds, in my experience it actually causes them.

[woofgang]

it doesn't do that either Jackdaw, nor does it cause flu. Its a mixture of killed flu virusses.

[Hopkirk]

I got less colds when I cut my drinking.

[jno]

yes, that's happened to me too (not infallibly but far fewer colds than I used to get). I know it shouldn't happen, but it does, and I've been having the jab for 10 years or more so it's not just a one-off coincidence.

Doesn't mean it'll work for you but I'd say it's worth a try.

[jno]

I was replying to the OP, of course, not Hopkirk...

[woofgang]

well possibly, if your immune system is getting a bit lazy, a dose of killed virus might stimulate it to work better? The flu vaccine will only make it make antibodies to what was in the flu vaccine but it might give it a bit of a general workout?

[atalanta]

Last year I had the vaccination. Not only did I catch influenza anyway, I had about 4 bad colds too.
And no, I do not have a compromised immune system

[jno]

as I understand it, last year's jab basically didn't work, atalanta. They guess at what this winter's strain of flu will look like and they guessed wrong.

[Hopkirk]

I heard recently that last year's flu jab was actually more successful than they thought at one time.

[atalanta]

I know the vaccination last year was declared largely useful. But my point was about the number of colds which that vaccination did not prevent either. ( fruitsalad's original point)

[woofgang]

atalanta the flu vac is not designed to prevent colds.