"I once had a bird, her name was Enza!"
"I opened the window, and in flew Enza!"
It costs more and isnt yet approved for the elderly, but if youre afraid of needles FluMist is for you.
Its a reminder to get vaccinated against a preventable disease that reaps over 35,000 American lives a year.
Further, between 28 and 56 million Americans will contract flu this year, while over 100,000 will be hospitalized.
Whats saddest is that while vaccines for AIDS and SARS are years away, we have a highly effective one for flu thats cheap (often free) and available everywhere from workplaces to grocery stores. Yet fewer than a third of Americans get vaccinated, including many of those at highest risk for severe illness and death.
Why? One explanation is that relatively new illnesses get a lot more media play than do old ones; hence we tend to overrate their risk. That explains this years SARS hysteria and the AIDS panic that prevails somewhat to this day.
But here are some flu myths and misconceptions that may also be getting in the way:
- Flu shots can give you the flu. Wrong. "The viruses in the vaccination are killed; its simply not possible to get influenza from it," explains Dr. Keiji Fukuda, chief of the Epidemiology Section, Influenza Branch, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Flu shots hurt. Hardly as much as the disease itself, yet remarkably even 15 percent of health care workers refuse to get shots for fear of needles. But to the rescue this year is the biotechnology company MedImmune, which now offers a nasal spray vaccine called FluMist.
- "Im healthy and between the ages of two and 65, so Im not at risk." Not for death maybe, but dont you have better things to do with a week of your time than coughing, sneezing, aching and begging to be put out of your misery? Moreover, while vaccination efficacy for the young and healthy is 70-90 percent, its only about 30-40 percent for the elderly. A study of asthmatic children in HMOs found only about a tenth had received flu shots, although these poor kids are at high risk for complications including death. By protecting yourself youre protecting others who may die.
- "One year I got a shot and still got the flu." More likely you contracted something else, such as "stomach flu" which isnt influenza at all. Each years vaccine carries three different carefully-selected strains. Even if you contract a different strain, you should still have enough cross-over protection to keep a brushfire from becoming the Towering Inferno.
Havent you ever had the flu so bad you wished you had Dr. Deaths pager number?
The myth-mongering groups whose thimerosal propaganda pollutes the Internet (and who will now swamp me with nasty e-mails) actually oppose all childhood vaccinations. That said, the fears have prompted the production of low- and no-thimerosal vaccinations.
- Arent there post-infection antiviral drugs? Yes, and if taken early enough these knock about a day off your illness. Big deal. Further, many people shouldnt take them. Finally, according to the CDC, "None of the four antiviral agents has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing serious influenza-related complications."
- "Stop nagging; Im convinced. But Im too busy this week." Yet youre not too busy to lose a week of work lying in bed? The shot takes about two weeks to become fully effective and flu droplets could start flying around the office any time. So put down that enthralling book youve been reading, "SARS: The End of the World," and roll up your sleeve or spread your nostrils. Theres a sneeze out there with your name on it.
Read Michael Fumentos other work on diseases.