Health and Psychology

Okay I broke down and got a flu shot.  This is despite having recovered from influenza Type B and pneumonia a few weeks ago.  I never get flu shots.  Knowing someone who got Guillian Barre is enough to scare someone off those things and it certainly did me.

But there's something different about this flu season.  First it seems to be deadlier.  It's killed at least 30 people in Los Angeles County alone, and there are another 50 cases under investigation and it's early in the flu season.  Second, a lot of people seem to be getting sicker when they have the flu.  Lastly I have some underlying health conditions that raise my risk for dying to a higher level and I was sick as a dog from the mild influenza type B strain.

The other thing that pushed me over the edge and propelled me to get a flu shot was the notice from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) about the H7N9 influenza strain currently found only in China.  That form of the flu appears to have a 50% mortality rate.  About 1/2 the people that contract that weird form of bird flu die from it. Note to people of China, please stop living with your feathered friends.  

So it's early in the flu season.  Go get shots.  There are three active strains of flu in Los Angeles--influenza A, H1N1, and influenza B.  The shot covers some immunity for all three forms.  If you catch the flu in the first two weeks after you get the shot, you'll get the flu but it will be milder.  It protects you against the flu about 80% of the time.  Side effects and weird reactions are exceptionally rare.

Note to my family members who say "The shots make me sick.  I never get the flu anyway.  I'll get some weird reaction."  The flu kills about 49,000 people each year.  This year it will kill more.  It's an awful way to die.  Go get the damn flu shot.