MEDICAL MINUTE: FLU BLUES
I will be the first to admit it: I haven’t always gotten my annual flu vaccination. As a matter of fact, for the majority of my life, I considered it basically unnecessary for a healthy adult. Then in 2009 I contracted the flu virus and changed my tune immediately. About the time I was seeing hallucinations due to my fever of 103 degrees, I decided that I had severely misjudged the importance of the vaccination. Of course, I survived; due in large part to my healthy immune system. But I realized how taxing it was on my body and how detrimental it could be to a child or someone with a depressed immune system due to illness. With flu season upon us, it is a great time to talk about why the flu shot can be a good choice for your health.
First of all, ‘flu’ is short for the full name of the disease, influenza. It is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by either the A or B version of the virus; more on that later. It appears most frequently in the winter and spring, not due to the cold weather, but rather because we are indoors more often and around others. Many people confuse a cold and the flu. It is true that they are both viral infections that can have many of the same symptoms such as fever, chills, coughing, sore throat, and fatigue. However, there are differences. Symptoms of a cold generally appear for several days whereas the flu tends to have a much faster onset. Symptoms are also much more pronounced with influenza.
The flu vaccine is produced each year in order to give your body a tolerance to the suspected strain of virus that will be most widespread in the winter. It works by injecting you with a deadened strain of the flu virus into your body and allowing you to produce antibodies to combat the infection. Once your brain has a blueprint of how to beat the disease, it remembers and can defeat the same pathogen if it is reintroduced (i.e. you contract the flu). A typical flu vaccine is called trivalent because it fights three distinct strains: Influenza A (H1N1), Influenza A (H3N2), and Influenza B. These strains are constantly evolving and must be reformulated from year to year. This makes it critical to get a new flu shot each season. A few years ago the nasal flu spray was considered an alternative to the traditional shot. However, the CDC has since pulled its recommendation of the nasal mist.
The Center for Disease Control recommends that every person over the age of 6 months should receive a vaccination each season. This vaccination is particularly important to certain populations of people. Children, the elderly, and those who have immunosuppressing illness should make sure they have their current flu shot. Even if you are healthy, if you live in a house with anyone in the above group, you should receive the shot to reduce your risk of cross contamination. Health care providers are encouraged to get their shots due to an increased risk of coming into contact with the virus. In fact, some hospitals do not ‘force’ their employees to receive the vaccination, but require them to wear respiratory masks if they decline to do so. This is a necessary step due to the large number of patients with immunosuppressive diseases that the health care provider comes into contact with on a daily basis.
Influenza can be a potentially fatal disease for almost any person. This is because the viral infection often leads to pneumonia which can severely limit lung function. The risk that pneumonia poses to children and the elderly cannot be overstated. You might have heard the term ‘double pneumonia’ which means that the infection has spread to both lungs. Conversely, ‘walking pneumonia’ just means that you have a light case of pneumonia. Be on the lookout for signs of severe pneumonia such as confusion, rapid breathing, or a sharp drop in blood pressure that leads to dizziness. If you have any of these symptoms on top of the flu, go to an emergency room immediately!
I encourage you to take care of your health and consider getting your seasonal flu shot. If you have any questions, be sure to talk to your physician. Trust me, you don’t want to be lying in bed with the flu as I was wishing you had bit the bullet and got the vaccine. I was skeptical at first but now, as the Monkees sang in 1966, “I’m a Believer!” Stay safe out there.
M. Eric Williams, MS, NR-P
Emergency Medical Faculty
Jones County Junior College
Questions/Comments: eric.williams@jcjc.edu
