I had the flu once as a teenager in the years before vaccinations were made available to me, and it was nasty stuff; I almost passed out at one point. Entering the work force in a profession where I had lots of contact with the public, my employer made low-cost flu shots available to us. I availed myself of them, and have annually continued the practice. For myself it was a sensible precaution and one which enabled me to fend off flu despite frequent exposure. I hate needles, by the way, but hate illness more...