Coughing. Fever. Aching. Generally feeling like crap. For many, these are the classic signs and symptoms of the dreaded influenza that is so common this time of year. The last time I had the flu, I experienced all of these symptoms. It was December 2012. One week prior, I had just received the flu shot. But when I arrived at urgent care, I tested positive for Influenza A. It turns out that this year, general trends reflect my own former situation. NBC News has reported that this year, there has been an uptick in diagnoses of influenza A, and in this flu season alone, 68 children died of the flu while 180,000 people have been hospitalized. The report also indicates that one of the best ways to protect yourself from falling victim to the flu is washing your hands.
But what happens if, like me, you get vaccinated, and you find yourself sick anyways? According to a CNN article by Elizabeth Cohen, scientists have not been able to develop a flu vaccine that adequately fights this season’s strain, as it is only 58% effective. However, the report goes on to add that even though the protection from this year’s shot is limited, you should still get vaccinated since some protection is better than no protection. Personally, I’d willingly find one of the many places that offers FREE flu shots and get vaccinated if it meant that my case of the flu was even a little bit alleviated. Especially since we won’t know for sure EXACTLY how effective this year’s vaccine was until after flu season is already over (Cohen).
Just get vaccinated. It’s worth it. There’s a reason why I’ll have to receive the flu vaccine every year if I become a health professional. Because even a little protection is better than no protection. When you’re laying in bed, having to call off work or miss an important class, you’ll always be wondering what that flu vaccine could have done for you. If nothing else, do it for those who may be immunocompromised and can’y afford to catch the flu from someone like you. We can’t cure the flu, but we can sure as heck try to make it suck just a little bit less.
Morgan's Microbiology 