Friday, February 20, 2009

2-9/10 cheers for flu shots

I got one last fall. Late last week, I suddenly felt what seemed to be a cold coming on. Then it turned into a couple of days of wipeout, with low fever but well short of the three-alarm job I remember from 9 years ago. Given the relative mildness, I was wondering if it was actually a bad cold rather than the flu, since one really expects a bit more from the latter (pounding headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, weeks of exhaustion, etcetera). Not that I'm complaining or anything. Still, the typology felt more flulike.

Today I read that (a) the Northeast has been having a flu resurgence in the last couple of weeks, and (b) the shot often gives a 70% reduction in severity, rather than making you immune. So now I feel confirmed that I had the flu after all, and that the shot, while short of perfection, may have saved me from a couple of really brutal weeks.

Make sure you get those shots next year, kids.

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