I've read and heard on the news that the flu vaccine that is available is ineffective against the strain of flu that is currently hitting us.... yet everyone is panicing to get the flu shot?

Am I missing something?

what i heard was that the more serious type may not be affected by the innoculation, but the more standard variations are.

All I know is that I got the shot, and have been sick for 6 weeks. I am ready to give myself another shot - right between the eyes.....

And how do you all think this new powerful strain got started...mutated from the one that the flu shot goes after....hmmmmm I for one am not in favor of such a thing aside from using it for the old and very young. By people our age using these type of vaccines for the flu we're just creating more harmful variations. Am I the only one that thinks this way?

Nathan,

I'm with you. I have not had a "flu" shot since I was a child and I have not had it ONE time since then. I never quite understood why I needed to get a shot that induced the sickness ?? WTF ??

I'll stay away from everyone.


B

I got it once a long long time ago & got sick with it. Swore "NEVER AGAIN".
If I get the flu it only lasts a day... then again, it could'a been sumpin I et


.................b

I just got the vaccine yesterday. Almost everyone I know down here has had some king of cold or virus in the past couple months. And our 3 year old bring everything home from school to her adoring parents.

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, maybe we can come back as fangio.

dr

Yes. I have no kids and only the wife works in a normal office enviroment. I have figured out recently that the 2 years I have been out of a normal office setting HAS BEEN THE most "sick" free two years that I can recall. Get away from people and it is amazing how things change.


B

Last time I got a flu shot, it worked great. I got the flu. That was over ten years ago. Never again.

flu vaccine is a gamble every year.
they (the meds) TRY to predict (half a year in advance) which strain will hit the most and that's the type of vaccine they'll produce.
works out good mostly, but this year, they sorta missed.
70% of the vaccine is against a strain that never really made it,
only 30% is capable of attacking the current strain.

there's nothing magic about this strain, just that the vaccine at hand
doesn't really work all that good.

the flu virus mutates into new strains every year, that's why we get the flu over and over again, unlike other virus infections where your body has anti-bodies that protect you pretty much for the rest of your life.

that's also the reason why eating chicken soup actually works

the virus originates in chicken, but can't attack humans from there.
it can, however infect pigs. which is where the mutation happens.
the then slightly mutated virus is now capable of attacking humans.
when eating concentrated chicken soup, you actually get some of the chickens anti-bodies that help you fight the virus.

welcome to the beauty of nature. gotta have to admire this stuff, somehow ...
Andy

I always get the shot and have never had problems; the flu vaccine that is out does not have this particular flu variant in it. When they package a vaccine they have a cutoff date and include their best guess as to what strains will be prevalent. The killer flu was not included don't ask me why. The experts (IE Doctors) say it does not hurt to have the flu shot as you will gain immunity from the other strains floating around. If I had small children they would not leave my house until this is over. I agree with the post that people are your greatest risk for the flu, how many times in an office have you seen a coworker that is near death dragging their sorry ass into work just to infect everyone else.

and.... don't fergit da "NUDLES"

........b

Apparently, you're missing the gene that tells you to panic just because everyone else is.

Neal,

That was awesome !!




Then you ask them why they are in the office sick "I'm out of sick days"... then you ask why are you out of sick days ?? OH YEAH... YOUR KID WAS SICK ..LOL


B

That's exactly why I'm always washing my hands while at work. I'm sick, I work from home.

Morons

Most people are just getting bad colds. I think people confuse bad colds with the flu. The flu shot doesn't help against them - only against influenza.

We're going to buy bottles of hand sanitizer for all of our employees!!!

Yup. I just came from the doctor's office and that is exactly what he said.

I'm sick as a damn dog, but I don't have the flu.

I didn't get a flu shot. I'm not likely to die if I get the flu, and I don't abuse my sick time so I have plenty of it to spare. I don't see any reason to freak about it, at least not for myself.

I am, however, going to spend the entire weekend snuggled up with a bottle of cough syrup ... which should make studying for finals fun.

When I lived in Chicago, I used to get 3-4 colds a year, and usually a flu too.

Since I moved to California, I think I can say I average one "sick" per year. Either a cold (usually sinus infection) or a flu.

I can't really say why. But maybe not being fucking freezing and miserable 24x7 for a period of 20+ weeks out of every year has something to do with it. I'm determined to avoid this flu this year. I'm paying careful attention to hygene at the office, and around my kids. My daughter says that there are 8 kids out in her class right now. Out of 20. Thank goodness Christmas break starts tomorrow.

My parents are flying in from Chicago - I hope they don't bring the plague with them.

well, i just got over strep throat and just picked up the flu

i met ralph and rhea

I hope you've got someone to administer chicken soup and stuff to you, Aaron. I've got some kind of strep or bronchitis myself, but because I live alone I had to do all my own medicine running-around and comfort food-buying before I could come home and whimper myself to bed, and MAN was I cranky driving around out there!

I never take antibiotics, nor vaccines for flu. I average one illness a year, or maybe every two years.

This years illness: Mental


M

good! antibiotics don't do shit against viruses, only bacteria!
only take antibiotics if you REALLY have to, cause the bacteria build up resistence over time.

Dr. Phil Schmidt

I could have gotten a flu shot for free this year, but I didn't... I haven't gotten the flu since the last time I got the flu shot, which was many years ago (I don't even remember how long ago it was). I also don't think not getting sick has nearly as much to do with diet or exercise as I hear many people say. I think it has a lot more to do with having a decent immune system and trying to avoid people who are obviously sick -- you know, those people who are coughing up a lung yet still have no problem sitting or standing 2" from you...

-Kevin