The flu hurts, pneumonia hurts. A cold doesn’t hurt, except for the sore throat. If you’re up and about and can go to work, it’s not a flu. (Don’t go to work with a cold)

I’ve had pneumonia, and it’s no laughing matter - I’ve had the flu once, and it was awful. Colds are annoying, and a severe cold sucks, but the flu hurt (and in turn gave me a severe respiratory bacterial infection). My bio dad died from the flu, honestly I always get my shot.

I had whooping cough as a child - it scared the shit out of my parents, who watched me turn blue trying to breath; who listened to my rattling lungs and deep coughs all night; and who sat beside my bed as I cried, exhausted and scared.

I offhandedly said as I was leaving my volunteer job, “off to get my flu shot, see you next week” and got a long, fulminating earful about my certain doom from my wildlife rescue volunteer boss as she was pouring medicine down a bird’s throat. I just stared and said “ok, see you next week,” and thought about the…

We got the flu last year, despite getting the shot (which happens!) and of course people I know blamed it on getting the flu shot. But out of 10 years of getting flu shots religiously, we only got the flu once so I’d say that’s pretty good. My daughter spent 2 nights in the hospital thanks to the flu, I’ll definitely…

OMFG yes! My SIL believe she will get the flu from the flu shot and it drives me bananas. A cold is not the fucking flu! 

I absolutely feel that anyone who wants to deny their child the vaccine should have to view videos of babies with pertussis. It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. 

I got my flu shot yesterday...and a $10 Publix giftcard! I mean, I feel good about protecting my own health as well as the health of the public, but $10 is $10.

I was an EMT for few years and one of the scariest things I responded to was a 4 year old girl with Pertussis. You do NOT want your child to go through this.

This drives me crazy. I work at a hospital and am required to get a flu shot every year (already got mine on Monday). Occasionally, I get a cold that coincides with getting a flu shot. Sometimes I don’t. It’s true that for a short period of time after you get a flu shot, that your immune system is “distracted”,…

This seems to be the most common thing. Most people have NO IDEA what the flu actually is.

There needs to be billboards, facebook ads, twitter ads, a god damn marachi band saying what the flu actually is. The misinformation is driving me bonkers.

I have been really shocked at the number of very well educated people I’ve encountered this year who say they aren’t getting the flu vaccine because they don’t want to get sick.  As in the vaccine will give them the flu.  I hardly know what to say in response.

Yeah, 13, 16 or 30. It was never funny. Just different kinds of tragic and frightening.

Doctors aren’t psychic. It’s pretty common for them to offer the worst-case scenario resulting from a given diagnosis as a way to make sure the family is prepared. Also, I’m going to guess that Ukraine in 2003 wasn’t exactly the most disability-positive place to be born.

Working in healthcare and being married to an obstetric NP I can safely say that one of the reasons that vaccines aren’t brought up in 100% of cases is because of antivax patients and docs/APPs are gun-shy of bringing it up because of the push back they have gotten from those patients who fly off the handle at the…

This really wasn't a funny story. I don't know why it was treated like it was.

I agree. Their coverage of this was very problematic and mean spirited.

Honestly I’m disappointed in Jezebel that you continue to exploit an adoptive, disabled child who’s been through shit by willingly not following up on the full story, and instead going with the Daily Mail clickbait. There were enough legit sources of info in the comment sections last time that you can’t claim…

So in light of this news, maybe a different header image would be appropriate? This is a real young woman, not a fictional film villain.