in Rant

Eschew the flu

We’re in the middle of one of the worst flu seasons ever, with people dropping like flies. Hallie was a victim, too, in spite of Kelly taking her in for a flu shot.

Predictably, the News and Observer is once again beating the drums about flu shots, with the latest story on the front page saying the CDC is now recommending shots for kids up to 18 years old.

The problem with flu shots is that there are a zillion strains of influenza on the loose. One shot can’t inoculate against them all, so a decision (ok, call it a “guess”) is made early on about which ones to focus on. The decision has to be made early as it takes time to create the serum. Truth is, whoever makes these guesses strikes out more often than not. When the flu season rolls around (as it always does), the strains that run rampant aren’t affected at all by the shots.

Now the CDC is pimping more shots for more people? This is only going to lessen whatever effectiveness the shots may have had when the increased demand pushes the production back even earlier. Now just how much money is the pharmaceutical industry making with this flu shot snake oil?

One thing my family’s learning the hard way is to avoid a doctor’s visit unless at we’re at death’s door. Its not that we can’t get help there, but more that we usually wind up trading our illness for one we pick up from the waiting room. Its my opinion that if more people took this into account we wouldn’t have as many epidemics.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: please keep your germs to yourself. Thank you.