It doesn't hurt to protect yourself from the flu

To get a flu shot or not to get a flu shot, that is the question. When you ask someone if they have been vaccinated, there aren’t many middle of the road people. You have people who get it every year, and people who have never been vaccinated.

I am one of those people who never got a flu shot. You hear stories of people getting sick from the flu shot (a myth squashed by Dr. Black in our front page story), or people still getting sick even though they got vaccinated. So why get a flu shot? Not that I was worried about getting sick, but I’ve always figured you get one good cold or flu bug during the season and then you get on with the winter blues.

Health professionals in Sanders County made me a believer this week, and talked me into getting my first flu shot. The truth is, the flu shot can’t hurt you. Every professional I talked to this week stressed that the flu virus has so many variations that it’s impossible to vaccinate against them all.

With the chicken pox or other viruses, it’s a one-and-done situation. But with the flu, there are literally millions of different versions. And as Dr. Black told me, this year they are seeing mutations of certain strains. So basically you don’t know what you’re going to get. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do their best to try to predict what strains of the flu will hit hardest, and then develop a vaccine based on that.

The flu vaccine changes every year, so you’re going to be protected every year against different strains and mutations. And you’ll build up those immunities. The more times you get vaccinated, the more strains you’ll be protected against. And studies show that the more you are vaccinated, the longer the vaccine will last.

While visiting with Karen Morey at the Sanders County Health Department this week about the local flu season and statistics, I decided to get my first flu shot. I’m already battling a cold, but I’m hoping it protects me through the rest of the flu season. Especially since Dr. Black said he doesn’t think cold and flu season has peaked here yet.

Getting a flu shot was easy, and painless. The staff at the health department has plenty of vaccines, and you can get a flu shot even if you don’t have any health insurance.

The common message among Sanders County health care professionals was to protect yourself from the flu and other illnesses. Wash your hands constantly, cover your cough, isolate yourself if you are sick.

If I had a nickel for every time someone recommended hand washing, I’d be sitting on a beach somewhere avoiding cold and flu season altogether.

— Annie Wooden, Editor