My wife and I NEVER get the flu shot and neither one of us has had much more than a sniffle in so many years I can’t count them.
When growing up I can remember some times school closed because so many were absent with flu but hardly ever. Maybe twice. There were no vaccinations, no Tamiflu etc. Just be tough and get through it. Even though the epidemic of 1918 was fresh on our minds I do not remember panic or very much death or breathless reports about how serious the outbreak was.
I hate to be a cynic but medicine is about money and if a problem has to be created to make money so be it. If the dentist can convince you to have a checkup and cleaning every six months he wins. If you can be convinced an $80,000 back surgery with a questionable 35% chance of success will fix all your problems medicine wins. There is a long list of these kinds of procedures and life threatening problems. Just watch the evening news to see them all on parade. There is a new pill for every one of them. Just see your doctor and ask for it.
Ask a boomer woman how her hysterectomy has worked out for her. That was in vogue in the 80s and 90s. Not so much now. Why?
If the 1918 flu was fresh on people’s minds when you were a kid, you should absolutely get the vaccine every year. You are a good cold away from the grave.