• 3
  • Nov

Fighting the flu starts with fighting vaccine myths

Local doctor says vaccine fears may cost lives this flu season

There’s a concept known as ‘herd immunity. It’s a strategy where if enough people become immunized against a disease, they protect those who do not get immunized by keeping them from coming in contact with that disease.
Avatar Steven Shroyer, MD Main Methodist Hospital

 

San Antonio – Each flu season, between five and 20 percent of Americans catch some strain of the flu, leading to more than 30 thousand deaths per year from flu-related complications. Doctors with the group Greater San Antonio Emergency Physicians (GSEP) say those numbers can be brought down – if more people get flu shots.

“There’s a concept known as ‘herd immunity,’” says GSEP Physician Dr. Steven Shroyer. “It’s a strategy where if enough people become immunized against a disease, they protect those who do not get immunized by keeping them from coming in contact with that disease. And in the case of influenza, it’s a strategy that’s being undermined by a few damaging and incorrect myths about the flu vaccine.”

In the interest of demystifying the vaccine, Dr. Shroyer recently released a list of seven common flu myths, as well as ways for people to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Flu Myths:

  1. The flu vaccine will give me the flu.
  2. The flu vaccine will give my child autism.
  3. The flu vaccine will give me Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
  4. Antibiotics like penicillin or azithromycin help fight the flu.
  5. Antivirals like Tamiflu get rid of the flu, so I don’t need a vaccine.
  6. The flu is just another cold virus, and I can tough it out if I catch it.
  7. You need an expensive test to diagnose someone with the flu.

Dr. Shroyer is available to debunk these myths and help people find flu shots, which he calls the safest and easiest way to fight the flu. With flu season around the corner, Dr. Shroyer says now is a critical time to spread this message to the public. To schedule an interview with Dr. Shroyer, contact JT Street via email at jt@esdandassociates.com or by phone at 210-348-8008.

About GSEP

When it was founded in 1980, Greater San Antonio Emergency Physicians was the first all board-certified emergency physicians group in the state of Texas. This year, the group will care for more than 200,000 patients at multiple facilities throughout the San Antonio area. GSEP is dedicated to providing the best medical care possible to those patients, and ensuring that patients are properly informed about their medical options.