Colds are a nuisance, but they generally don’t interrupt our work or activities. The “flu” is actually a highly contagious, systemic viral infection by one of many strains of the influenza virus. The flu not only infects the nose, throat, and lungs, but its’ symptoms can affect the whole body. There are 40-90 million cases of influenza reported in the US each year. Nearly 110,000 Americans will be hospitalized with flu complications this coming year. Business productivity drastically drops due to flu sick time. Total costs, including time lost from work, etc., exceed $14 billion—all in the four month “influenza season.” It results in 69 million lost days from work and 39 million lost days from school for children. Yet we commonly ignore the seriousness of this illness, brushing it off with a casual, “Oh, it’s just the flu.”
Q:Who should get a flu shot?
A: In my opinion, anyone who wants to resist the flu should get vaccinated, unless they’re allergic to eggs! Vaccines can prevent Infection in seven to nine out of 10 healthy people under 65 years old and in 30 percent of nursing home residents. Yet only about one in three people under 65 and two out of three people over age 65 get vaccinated. Adapted from http://wellnessconnection.wustl.edu/hr
