It's the time of the year when I stay away from people. Because, once again, I forgot the flu shot and right now, the annual epidemic is reaching its peak. There's a public health website with daily and weekly updates on the number of positive test results, infections, hospital admissions, and deaths - figures, tables, graphs, pie charts, the lot. Our city is in the orange area. Guess what orange stands for.
This year's outlook is rough because quite unexpectedly, "too many" people voluntarily decided they wanted to be vaccinated early on, as in October, and, because the vaccine is free, clinics and surgeries etc. ran out by December. And thanks to bureaucracy, there is a backlog in supplies and so on.
Hence, people like me, who function on immune suppression, and who didn't get their act together early on are encouraged to lead the life of a hermit, plus endless washing of hands.
"People treat the flu shot like a matter of personal choice. They think if they don’t get a shot and then they get the flu, that’s their own bad luck. But the flu shot, like other vaccines, is only truly effective when taken en masse; it reduces overall infection in a population so that the most vulnerable people — usually the elderly, but for some strains it’s children — are less likely to be infected. This is collective, social action — collective inoculation. Further, the folk idea that some years the flu shot “doesn’t work” is inaccurate. Flu shots always contain a mix of vaccines against several different strains that are believed most likely to be dominant that flu season. Vaccine makers don’t always get it right, but the range of effectiveness is more like 30 percent to 60 percent; it’s not zero or 100. Even in an off year, the flu shot increases your immunity, and you’ll probably be less sick and not for as long — and therefore less contagious — if you do catch the flu."
Elisa Gabbert (https://reallifemag.com/the-great-mortality/)
(picture credit: Imperial College London)
Thank you for the science lesson via R and Elisa Gabbert. Good to know that you are staying away from people as much as possible. I began getting flu shots when I was in my mid-40s, having been convinced not that it was good for me but that it was for the good of the elderly and other vulnerable people. The only time I ever had the flu was in my late 20s. I have not forgotten the feeling that "I could die of this."
ReplyDeleteI have been fortunate to have avoided the flu since then, despite not getting flu shots until I was in my mid-40s. It is occurring to me now that I have been getting flu shots for the past 24 years.
A neighborhood friend of my family who was a high school teacher developed Guillain-Barré syndrome after getting a flu shot. He was permanently disabled. It was for that reason that I avoid ed flu shots for so many years.
And thank you for the links to Joe Tilson and his art work. That inspired me to start Mandala #42, my first mandala this year.
The case of your friend of a family is so very sad.
DeleteAs far as I understand from current reseach (I haven't checked this in the last two years re published literature), GBS has been found in very rare cases where people were vaccinated with a pandemic influenza vaccine, ie a vaccine developed to protect against pandemic cases of a non-human origin such as swine flu etc. and not the annual human seasonal versions.
I realise this information does not ease the anxiety and certainly not the burden on affected persons/families.
My daughter had influenza when she was 20. I remember holding while she was shaking and halluzinating. She was given tamiflu (antiviral medication) and recovered rapidly. That winter, the flu epidemic in Europe was very dramatic and tamiflu was widely administered, esp. to young children with severe cases. Several months later the first adverse drug reactions were reported in a small percentage, incl. narcolepsy. I am not sure what we would have done had this information be available at the time.
I am not sure we should even be communicating by internet. I am in the throes of influenza. Got my shot but there you go! Keep well and stay away from everyone you can possible stay away from.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that next year I WILL get the flu shot. This year's bout of flu (my first in decades) was enough to push me into the believing side.
ReplyDeleteBe careful, dear Sabine.
I got Influenza B two years ago in June, despite having been vaccinated the October before. I had just turned 65 and was too vain to get the extended flu shot for the elderly... My husband got the extended shot and did not catch it from me. I never want to be that sick again. I'm glad you are being extra careful.
ReplyDelete...and I was touched by the statement: "This is collective, social action — collective inoculation." Funny how a few words can add meaning and beauty to an everyday necessity.
ReplyDeleteI hate being sick and I work with immune comprised people so I always get my flu shot. Two years ago I had the flu and felt like I was dying, not a feeling I enjoy. This year, touch wood, I'm good. Hope you're able to evade the nasty little buggers:)
ReplyDeleteI have never gotten the flu shot and have been lucky avoiding people and not getting the flu. Reading this makes me think I will get the vaccine next year. It really is that important. Thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI don't get the flu shot. The last time I had the flu was in my late 20s. being self employed and working at home I'm not generally exposed to people and I have a good immune system. The only time I worry about it is during our annual open house in December, seeing people I haven't seen for the previous year, but people who are sick are sensible and don't come. According to an interview I heard on NPR a while back, last year's flu shot was only 25% effective and this year's was predicted to be slightly less effective at 24%. I hope you escape infection. stay well!
ReplyDeleteThe "herd immunity" argument is compelling. I have to confess I usually don't get flu shots. I got them for a few years when I lived in NYC and my employer gave them out for free, but they always seemed very "optional" and as far as I know I've never had the flu. (Although how do you tell? I did have a weeklong fever virus in the late '90s, which I suppose could have been flu...)
ReplyDeleteI know of people who don’t get the flu shot because it “causes you to get the flu”. When I smile in mild disbelief (I am nothing if not polite in the face of stupidity) they say, “yes, yes, I know so-and-so who definitely got it”. I have one or two health issues too and I go as early in the autumn as they are available.
ReplyDeleteRhine valley eh? I come from the flatlands further north/west, the Niederrhein. Gosh, am I homesick now, particularly with Brexit looming.
In my part of the world, there is a measles epidemic. And I work with pregnant women and babies. We also see lots of little kids in our clinic. I get the flu shot. I know it's not perfect but I cannot be around vulnerable people without protection. I stay home if I'm sick. And we tell our families to do the same if they are ill. Flu is no joke.
ReplyDeleteAs for the unvaccinated children who populate my community, their parents had second thoughts with the current outbreak. I remember polio. Some of my grade school classmates died from polio. My mother was deaf after she had the mumps. And my cousin had a brain injury after being exposed in utero to rubella. I had pertussis in 2000 and was quarantined.
I talk to families a lot about vaccines even though I'm their midwife and not their pediatrician. Administration and timing are important. Ignoring vaccines altogether isn't wise. Diseases that had been 'eradicated' have returned. A sensible conversation at this time seems essential!!!
Be well, Sabine. Be well.
Do stay well. I started taking the flu shot when my husband asked me to after he began having immune issues plus I was working with an older population compared to me at that time. Now, being older myself, I continue to get the flu shot but my Dr. didn’t give me the stronger one as said I didn’t need it. I wonder why you would “forget” to get a flu shot given your medical condition, or that you would even put off until late in season — rhetorical question you might ask yourself. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou have a point there. In my defence I did not forget it, I just postponed it to January as I was away all of December in the Southern hemisphere (summer time, no flu etc.) and by the time we returned, the vaccine had run out in all of Germany - an embarrassing situation for me and our health services.
DeleteI got the flu shot for the first time ever this year - I got it in August right before I started chemo, when my doctor pointed out to me that my immune system was just going to get worse as it went on. And now I plan to every year.
ReplyDeleteWe're in the midst of a big measles outbreak here because of people who don't vaccinate their kids. Makes me a little crazy that they put so many others at risk.