Facts on "The Flu"

I have had soooo many people come into the clinic with the flu and I have had to educate them on the common misconceptions surrounding the flu. This article talks about the flu vaccination and how important it is to be vaccinated each year. Nurses are "highly encouraged" to get flu shots every year and I admit, at first I was skeptical and I protested but someone educated me on the importance of getting vaccinated and now I am a 'flu shot advocate' So now I'm passing on my knowledge to you and hopefully you will become a flu shot believer as well.

*The one thing that this article doesn't mention is that antibiotics will NOT cure the flu. It is a viral infection and antibiotics DO NOT cure viruses, they act only on bacterial infections. Getting antibiotics unnecessarily is only going to contribute to the formation of new 'antibiotic resistant' infections. More info on that to come because it is another huge topic of discussion.

Flu: You're Not Immune
by Marin Gazzaniga

Parents are having “chicken pox parties” to expose their toddlers to the virus; researchers are reporting that children exposed to colds and germs (e.g., in early daycare) build better immunities. Can the same be said for adults who contract influenza? Does getting the flu improve your immunity?

“The natural immunity you build is usually more durable than the immunity you acquire from an injection,” acknowledges Dr. Raymond Strikas, associate director for an immunization program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “However, why run the, albeit small, risk of a serious illness when it is much safer to get the vaccine?”

“Getting the flu is not a good idea,” says Dr. Ardis Hoven, an infectious disease specialist and trustee of the American Medical Association. “The primary reason is that the influenza virus undergoes anagenic variation, so on a yearly basis the strain undergoes change.” Meaning: Getting this year’s flu doesn’t necessarily prevent you from getting next year’s flu.
The CDC estimates that every year, approximately 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu. The figures are hard to estimate because not everyone who gets the flu goes to the doctor. What they do know is that more than 200,000 are hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 will die. Ninety percent of deaths are among the elderly.

So what’s a person to do to avoid the flu?Doctors agree that the best way to prevent the flu, or any illness, is to wash your hands regularly. But becoming a Purell fanatic isn’t sufficient protection for those at risk of serious complications from the flu.

The CDC and AMA urge high-risk groups—and those around them—to get an annual flu shot to prevent serious illness, complications and even death. To assure there are enough vaccines to cover those at risk, inoculations are limited to “Tier 1” members until Oct. 24: the elderly (over 65), nursing home residents, anyone with immune-compromised systems, children age 6-23 months, pregnant women, health care workers and caregivers of babies under six months old. After Oct. 24, anyone who wants a flu shot can get one—provided there’s ample supply.

*Note: Those who are allergic to eggs should not get a flu shot. Also, if you’ve had a bad reaction to a flu vaccine in the past, talk to your doctor before getting one again. If you’re ill that day, your doctor will likely have you wait till you are well to have the vaccine.

What if you’d rather get the flu than get a shot?Say you’re not in any of the high-risk groups and you hate shots. What’s wrong with just taking your chances? It’s not just about you. If you get the flu, chances are, you’re going to transmit it to others—and then those people will pass it on, and so on. So by not taking care of yourself, you run the risk of infecting those who may be at risk for serious illness. In fact, one of the reasons immunization is recommended is to limit the spread of a virus. The flu isn’t just about health, either; a flu epidemic has a financial impact as well. “The flu affects about 5 percent to 10 percent of the work force on an annual basis,” says infectious disease specialist Hoven. “This impacts workforce productivity—loss of income, loss of revenue, health care costs to individuals (going to the doctor, buying medicines). So getting the flu can have a significant community effect.”

For the truly needle phobic, this marks the third year that a new nasal spray vaccine will be available for those who are healthy, not pregnant and between ages 5 and 49 years. There are 3 million doses available. The price ($18-23 a dose) is higher than the shot, which costs between $10 and $14 a dose. Side effects can include be a runny nose and congestion.

Can’t you still get the flu from a flu shot?“As with any medicine you can have an adverse or side effect—e.g., sore arm from injection or weak and feverish,” explains Strikas of the CDC. There are other uncommon side effects—diarrhea, vomiting, rare allergic reactions—but the virus is inactivated in the vaccine. You cannot get the flu from the flu shot itself.

You can, however, still get the flu, even if you’ve had the vaccine. Some people respond with antibodies better than others, and the older you get, the less able you are to make antibodies to respond to a vaccine. “You are still better off with the shot than without, because you are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than if you didn’t have the vaccine,” says Strikas.

For those who aren’t high-risk and who are relatively healthy, the main reason to get a shot and avoid the flu is: It’s a bummer. Don’t confuse your annual bad cold with the flu. As Dr. Thomas Kovachevich, a family practitioner in New York City says: “Anyone who’s had the flu prays to God for relief—even atheists.”