I've marked a birthday last week by getting myself vaccinated against the flu. One hundred years have passed since the 1918 pandemic, in which approximately 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States, died of the flu. Last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu killed more than 80,000 people in the United States.

Avoiding becoming a statistic is not my main motivation for getting the shot.

However, I am afraid to expose my children to the flu. They both have an autoimmune disease and seem to fall ill, pneumonia at the age of 9 years. My husband and I are very motivated to stay healthy and minimize their exposure to the disease. We know that we could be contagious for several days before we even get sick. He and the boys also received their flu shot last week.

I'm also worried about my parents and other people who are baby boomers or older people. My parents and in-laws are both 70 years old, and volunteer work puts me in frequent contact with seniors. Influenza can be particularly severe in people 65 years of age and older, who make up the bulk of hospitalizations and deaths related to influenza.

With the aging immune system no longer functioning at its peak, older people have less energy and spare breathing capacity. Many older people struggle to stay well nourished, making it even more difficult to fight infections. What could be a cold in a 30-year-old can be a devastating disease for a 70-year-old. I certainly do not want to be the contagious vector of the flu for my family members or the people I am responsible for helping. .

I am also an intensive care nurse who works with critically ill newborns aged 18 to 18, and the last thing I want to do is send a disease to a patient. Children hospitalized with influenza are extremely ill, often have high fever and require respiratory support or intravenous fluids. They often have underlying health problems, ranging from asthma to cystic fibrosis. Many are or were premature babies – who are particularly prone to breathing problems – and may be too young to be fully vaccinated. A flu outbreak can result in long and costly hospitalization for these children. It is important for me to work alongside other health professionals to reduce the risk of injury and prevent new infections in our patients.

Of course, not everyone can or should be vaccinated against the flu: babies can not receive it before the age of 6 months at least. People receiving chemotherapy or who have other immune suppression should determine with their doctor when and if they should receive the vaccine. It is recommended for people with high fever to postpone vaccination.

Other groups are particularly well placed to get vaccinated against the flu: people with asthma can be seriously affected by the flu, but they can reduce their risk by being vaccinated against influenza. Elderly people, or in contact with the elderly, benefit from the flu vaccine. People with children or in contact with children can reduce their exposure to the disease by being vaccinated against the flu. People who have already been in contact with a premature baby – or someone who is undergoing chemotherapy, an immunodeficient person, or someone with a chronic illness – would help to keep them safe by being vaccinated against the flu.

In addition, people who shop in grocery stores or department stores, take the bus or the metro, fly, attend concerts, attend sporting events or go to churches, synagogues or mosques where many people are concentrated flat for infectious diseases – can protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated against the flu.

In other words, if you manage to isolate yourself from other people during the flu season, go ahead and skip it.

However, if you choose to be part of a community – to socialize, to interact with people, to do business with them and to breathe the same air as the rest of us – it is reasonable to expect to get vaccinated against the flu.

It is true that you are not likely to become a statistic. But if you do not get the flu shot for your health and well-being, protect your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and the most vulnerable among us.

Kelly Maynard is a pediatric nurse at the Hennepin County Medical Center and a part-time writer at the Star Tribune.