To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

My best friend keeps pushing me to get a flu shot, and I'm not opposed to the idea--it's not like I want to be miserably sick for a week or more. The problem is I'm lazy, because, even though I walk near the infirmary, I never stop for the shot. There's also that little fear of needles thing, but, according to an article on health.com, my hesitation may not be such a bad thing.

Apparently, "the vaccine may not be as good—or as safe—as you think." OK, now I'm confused. Flu complications kill nearly 40,000 Americans a year, and the CDC recommends flu shots, but it might be dangerous and unnecessary? This is because the vaccine only contains strains of the virus that a group of experts hypothesize might be a problem during this flu season. So, if they miss a particular strain, you could still get sick. Also, the vaccine itself can make you sick. How counterintuitive is that?

The article says that at-risk groups, children, pregnant women and people over 50, should be vaccinated, and if you're in busy, public places (like a college campus maybe?) or work around high-risk groups, you should probably consider getting vaccinated too. I think I may make a pit-stop at the infirmary.