Astronomer

I get the flu shot every year only because I get it for free from the government and I work with kids who carry a LOT of germs and I have a compromised immune system. But I can definitely understand why you wouldn't opt for a flu vax, they aren't in my opinion 100% necessary.

As for other vaccinations, some I think are very important. For example, I think the HPV vaccine for young girls/women is something I would encourage my hypothetical children to get (I got it too a few years ago!) because there is a huge stack of extremely conclusive research that links the HPV virus with cervical cancer. If you don't get HPV, you will be much much much much much much less likely to get cervical cancer. There have been all sorts of scares about the apparent horrible side effects of this vaccine but I had all 3, and so did most of my friends, and we experienced no side effects at all. My mum, who is a medical scientist, also says that a severe reaction to the vaccine would be extremely rare.

__________________