January 9, 2014

Are Flu Shots Necessary?

Thought Provoking Thursday

Are Flu Shots Necessary?

Should companies have the right to force you to get a flu shot?

*The original story for this post can be found HERE, all information has come from WFTV.com

Today on Thought Provoking Thursday I wanted to see what your opinion was on company rules, and how far their rights go when it comes to what they expect from their employees. I was checking out the recent articles on Abcnews.com and stumbled across an article I thought was kind of strange, A Florida man was fired from his job after refusing to get the new company requirement, a flu shot. Are Flu Shots Necessary?

First off, I have nothing against flu shots per say, I personally can’t get one because I am allergic to one of the ingredients. I also don’t take my child to get her flu shot either. She has also never had antibiotics. This is because I want to make sure she builds a healthy immune system early in life, and doesn’t end up with a compromised immune system like I have. With that being said, if I (and her doctor) truly thought she was in need of antibiotics, I would absolutely give them to her. So it makes me wonder, would I be exempt from a rule forcing employee’s to get flu shots?

Here is the story of a Personal Trainer who lost his job over refusing to get a flu shot:

Dave Stillwagon, a certified personal trainer, lost his job at one of Health First’s Pro-Health & Fitness Centers because he simply did not want to get a flu shot. His company has recently made it a requirement for it’s over 7,000 employees to get a flu shot by December 15,2013. 98% of those employees complied and those that didn’t were out of a job.

“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t take drugs by choice. I also make the choice that you can’t force drugs into me,” Stillwagon said. He also stated another big reason he didn’t want to get a flu shot is because there is not enough research regarding the long term effects of the shot, and he thinks that the company being a health and fitness company should focus on natural ways to prevent sickness.

So what are my thoughts on this, Are Flu Shots Necessary?

I don’t think a company should be able to force someone to get a flu shot. It makes me wonder if he would have claimed religious reasons for not wanting to get the shot, if he would have been pardoned. But, (there is always a but) working in the health care field, I was required to get a HepB shot, which I did with no problem. If this was an article about someone working in a hospital, or a daycare, I might think differently, because passing the Flu in that type of environment could be deadly.

You can read the entire story HERE.

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