Over the past few years, there has been much controversy over the flu shot. Some people claim the flu vaccine does not work, some claim the vaccine actually gave them the flu and others oppose flu vaccines and all other types of vaccines for religious or personal beliefs.
Contrary to popular belief, the flu vaccine is generally safe for individuals over six months of age. The only exception is for people who are allergic to eggs, people who have certain medical conditions that may become worse with the vaccine or people who have had severe, life-threatening allergic reactions to past vaccinations. One of the side effects of the flu vaccine is recipients experiencing cold-like symptoms after vaccination similar to those of the flu but is not actually the flu.
Vaccine recipients may experience sneezing, coughing, fever, body ache, congestion and other symptoms that mirror the cold or flu.
In addition, the vaccine is an inactive or “dead” version of the virus that your immune system uses to build anti-bodies against the live virus you may  encounter at some point.  Your body cannot be infected by a dead virus.
If a person does contract the flu after receiving the flu shot, the person most likely had already been exposed to the flu virus prior to vaccination or came in contact with the virus before the vaccine had a reasonable amount of time to work. On a side note, the flu vaccine will not protect against other respiratory infections such as the cold, sinus infection, hay fever, etc. 
Another common  myth is the vaccine is ineffective. No vaccine is 100 percent effective. Second, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who receive the flu vaccine reduce their chances of contracting the flu by at least 60 percent.
Furthermore, if a person gets the vaccine and ends up with the flu, his or her case is usually milder and the duration time of the disease is shorter. The vaccine offers protection against the most common strains of the flu virus predicted by the CDC.  The vaccine isn’t perfect, but it’s better than no protection at all.
A final myth is the flu vaccine causes autism. There is no scientific evidence suggesting the flu vaccine causes autism or increases the chances of developing autism.
This myth began when a small study published in 1998 in The Lancet by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues at Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London suggested childhood vaccines might cause some cases of autism.
The study only involved 12 children, but the debate about the safety of childhood vaccines has continued ever since. The study has been retracted, but the myth persists, mostly among those strongly opposed to all vaccines.
After years of research and studies, scientists have found no evidence or link between autism and the flu vaccine and its former ingredient thimerosal (which, before 2001, was a common ingredient in flu vaccines but is no longer used in today’s vaccines).
The same holds true for the myth the flu shot causes Alzheimer’s. In fact, a study published in The Canadian Medical Journal in 2001 suggests the flu vaccine may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s in older adults.
Aside from the medical exceptions mentioned in the beginning of the article, the benefits far outweigh the risks. If you are still skeptical about the flu shot, follow the universal medical principle.
When in doubt, ask your doctor. Need a little more convincing? Here’s some great news: The year’s flu-shot not only protects you from the influenza virus, but it also protects you from the H1N1 virus (swine flu) so you get double protection.