Bad Astronomy

I got shot

… TDAP and flu shots, that is. Much to my chagrin, I found out I hadn’t had my pertussis vaccine booster in a while, so I went to the doctor yesterday and got both that (in the form of the Tetanus/Diphtheria/pertussis shot) as well as my seasonal flu shot:

[Sorry about blurring out my tattoo, but it’s not clear that I am allowed to show it on the blog yet.]

Look: vaccines save lives. They don’t cause autism, or do any of the things the antivaxxers claim. And it’s a rock solid fact that babies have been dying all over the world from preventable diseases – 10 infants have died in California alone from pertussis this year. Most of them are too young to get a pertussis shot, so the best thing we all can do is make sure we’re up to date with our vaccines, and that means a periodic TDAP booster. Ask your doctor.

And the flu shot? Just yesterday, a four-year-old boy in New York died of the flu. The flu.

Talk to your doctor, and if they recommend it, get vaccinated.