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The CDC recently held a blogger webinar to educate us about the flu. Before becoming a parent, I thought the flu was a stomach bug, not realizing that no, it's actually a really horrific respiratory thing that sucks, sucks, sucks. And I've now had it, in all its glory. And so has my daughter.
I am still not so sure about flu shots.
The CDC says the flu is preventable, and the shots will prevent it. Of course, that's if the right strains were isolated and put into the shot. And if you're not allergic to eggs (if you are, shot = bad idea). And, sometimes it seems, if the sun and moon are in alignment with Jupiter and it's Tuesday.
But they are kind of smart folks there at the CDC. And they are pretty adament about this.
And there are more options now. You can get the flu shot, which is essentially dead virus that will produce an immune response, or (if you're over the age of two) the mist, which is a live but weakened virus that does the same thing.
I pointed out on the call that at sometimes $25 a pop, vaccinating against flu can get expensive for your average family of four, especially right before Christmas. According to the CDC folks, there are 20,000 hospitalizations a year due to flu, which, I admit, is also pretty expensive. They also pointed out that flu vaccinations are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and told me there is a flu clinic locator on their site, here.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that pregnant women (of whom only 15% are currently vaccinated against flu) who get vaccinated protect their infants for the first six months of life against the flu, too. And yet, ew. Not everyone gets a flu shot.
For those concerned about thimerosal, the vaccine preservative allegedly suspected of a connection with autism, there are a few thimerosal-free vaccine products available.
For the 2008-09 season, there is one product licensed for 6-23 month old children (the product is thimerosal-free). For children between the ages of 2 and 5 years of age, there are three products available that are thimerosal-free (sanofi's Fluzone; MedImmune's FluMist) or preservative-free (trace thimerosal- [Novartis's Fluvirin]).
The biggest argument I've heard against getting a flu shot is that it'll give you the flu. A pharmacist blogger at The Bar and Chill writes:
The biggest myth is that the flu shot can cause you to become sick with the flu itself. I swear it doesn’t, I repeat the shot does not cause you to get sick with the flu!!! If you do happen to become sick after receiving the shot, it is because the virus can lay dormant within you for up to 2 weeks i.e. you were already destined to be sick.
Despite all the encouragement from the CDC and medical professionals, some people will still not want to mess with the vaccine. For those folks, the simple act of washing hands may be the best bet. Dr. Mercola writes:
Wash your hands – My mom always reminded me to do this when I was little. And I’m glad she did. Hand washing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent infection. It decreases the chances of spreading the flu virus and other diseases like diarrhea to other people. But don’t just wash your hands with water. Use warm water and soap, work up a good lather all the way up to the wrists for up to 15 seconds and rinse and dry thoroughly. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also an effective alternative.
Do you get the shots?
