Yesterday I had my annual influenza vaccination, designed to protect me against infection with the influenza virus.

We’ve all had the flu before – fever, muscle aches, runny nose, headache – it’s not fun. However for some people, those with compromised immune systems, the very old and the very young, the flu can be deadly. Last year more than 1000 Australians died from the flu.

We have a vaccine that can help prevent it, so why do so many people resist being vaccinated?

It seems that there are quite a few myths about the flu vaccine which make people scared to be vaccinated.

First let’s talk about how vaccines work. Vaccines expose our immune system to a pathogen, such as the flu virus. Our immune system then goes to work producing cells that will be able to recognise and kill that pathogen. The cool thing about our immune system is that it has a memory.

When it has encountered that pathogen once, it remembers it, and if it comes across the same pathogen again it can mount a much stronger, much faster response to get rid of that pathogen.

So vaccines act as a primer for the immune system – they get it ready for when it encounters the virus in real life.

One myth surrounding the flu vaccine is that you can catch the flu from being vaccinated. This one is absolutely not true. Vaccines are made using dead virus – virus that is incapable of infecting you and making you sick. Sometimes people do have some muscle aches or fever after the vaccine.

This isn’t the flu, it’s just a sign that their immune system is kicking in to gear in response.

Another myth about the flu vaccine is that it causes other disorders, things like autism or Alzheimer’s disease. These rumours seem to be really persistent. Huge numbers of scientific studies have been carried out over many, many years, and all of these studies have shown that the flu vaccine is safe, and that it does not cause any other illness.

Some people won’t get the flu vaccine because they’ve had it before and still gotten the flu. This is unfortunately true – you can still catch the flu even if you’re vaccinated. Influenza is a sneaky little virus that constantly changes, with new strains emerging.

But the best reason to get vaccinated? Having the flu vaccine isn’t just about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting those around you. The more people who are vaccinated, the less easily the flu virus can spread through a community. It’s called herd immunity. So by getting vaccinated, we can stop the flu spreading as easily, and help protect the more vulnerable members of our communities.

I’ve had my flu shot. Will you consider getting yours?