Posted on 01/10/2013 7:51:01 AM PST by chessplayer
An agressive flu strain is spreading quickly across the country. Hospitals from coast to coast are being forced to divert patients from their overcrowded emergency rooms.
"I can't say it enough," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said. "Please all of everyone out there, get to the health centers where you can get you flu shot."
This winter has had the earliest and worst outbreak of deadly flu virus in a decade.
Positive cases of influenza in the U.S. rose 60 percent during the last week of December.
In the week ending on Dec. 29, 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported there were 2,961 positive influenza test results out of 9,363 specimens nationwide, or 31.6 percent. Near the Great Lakes, the hardest-hit region, reports nearly 60 percent of those who were checked tested positive for the flu.
(Excerpt) Read more at accuweather.com ...
From the reports of hospitals being overloaded, I have to think most are obama voters.
Whatever.
I want my $30 back.
Got my shot in September. Remember it still takes about a week to be effective.
A conspiracy nut might think that this is an effort to build support for Obamacare.
I’ve never gotten the flu shot and I’ve never gotten the flu. It may have something to do with the military rebuilding my immune system when I was a kid, I don’t know. I keep my hands clean, avoid touching inanimate objects if I don’t have to and generally stay healthy. It’s worked well so far.
10 minutes after my shot this year, I couldn’t tell I’d had one.
I suspect we are having an epidemic because they guessed wrong on the variants for this years shot.
The idea of vaccine protecting the public is to create a kind of firewall against infection. It doesn’t work as well for individuals, but you were immunized for a lot of infections just by having so many people immunized. So if half of the vaccines work for a particular pathogen, it works.
Wasn’t there a recall or something? I remember that my pharmacy, which gives shots, stopped for a while. Maybe it was the “delivery system?” They might have been using those “airgun” things. Anyway, what I do recall was that something wasn’t effective.
Congress should ban assault flu viruses.
Is the flu shot they are recommending going to cover this strain? I thought I heard that the strain that is going around was not in the flu vaccine this year.
Why?
Are we sure that this isn’t another “un-wasted crisis” trumped up by the media and massaged by Obamites?
Media generated hysteria. Apparently the low information people out there don’t know how to cope with the flu or what is most likely just a bad cold... so off they run to the emergency rooms.
This country is doomed.
If you’re allergic to eggs, don’t get a flu shot.
That would be very, very bad.
I got my flu shot in October and it did NOT work. I came down with a physician confirmed case of the flu last week, and am just now getting over it. The current medical spin is that the vaccine does not necessarily guarantee that you won’t get the flu, but that it will lessen the symptoms.
No, there is no money back guarantee it will prevent you from getting it. There has NEVER been a guarantee it will prevent it. But it can still reduce the severity of it if someone gets it. That can mean the difference between surviving or dying for the elderly.
The media has to get with the program. Don’t bother us with this inconsequential crap. We are saving the country from “Gun Violence”.
The are many strains of the flu. The medical community makes an educated guess as to which strain will infect people on a given year. Somehow I doubt you could do better.
The flu shot protects against previously known and the most prevalent strains of flu. In essence you got protection up to last year’s known threats.
This year they have a close match and those who are vaccinated will either get lesser symptoms or not at all...
Of course, it takes 10 days for the vaccine to fully take hold so for the next week my wife and I are susceptible...
Has been considered 70% effective from the beginning.
I personally consider it a good investment. That other 30% can be pretty rough.
I came down with an upper chest congestion about 8 or 9 days ago, took some old Cipro I kept from the last time I ... don't remember why ... but I kept 'em (always do), and I feel a lot better now
I always keep an antibiotic stash, just in case.
Yeah, I know .. you shouldn't keep them .. use all of 'em because they're measured or something.
I've never completed the 2 a day for 10 day routine, always felt better after 3 or 4 days .. drank a lot of water, slept a lot and went back to work ... with a stash in the freezer.
That's my story n'I'm ... s s s s tickin' TO it.
Dang! All this flu violence! Please 0ummbumma, cuhomo, do something! Like an EO to eliminate this flu violence! Please!!!!
Yeah, I’m an ER doc. We are crushed with flu patients. Guess what folks, 99 times out of 100 THERES NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU. Unless its a kid under 2, over 70, pregnant or immunocompromised they don’t even recommend Tamiflu.
So STAY HOME, DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS AND TAKE SOME TYLENOL OR MOTRIN.
Never get them. Never will.
A conspiracy nut might think that this is an effort to build support for Obamacare.
But how would that explain the govt. and private physicians urging people to get flu shots during the Bush years?
This.
From what I have heard they guessed right on this seasons flu strain. I got my shot this morning. no pain no ache. Hardly felt the needle = it was the normal type needle - not that new shorter one. $32 at CVS.
Whether the shot hurts of not is really irrelevant.
Hurt is about where the liquid got deposited in the muscle. If the volume and location is near a nerve it will hurt more and longer. Case closed.
Usually flu has a colorful name like chinese pig swine flu.
The fact that this is “the no name flu” probably says the vaccine in not for this flu.
In any event, I suspect they will name this flu “the global warming flu”.
That’s not correct. The CDC looks at strains that emerged generally in Asia early in te year, and makes the vaccine to cover the 3 most likely NEW strains.
I’m 59. I’ve never had a flu shot. I’ve also not had anything like the flu in my adult life as far as I can remember.
Doesn’t mean I won’t die of it this year, but still...
The last flu shot I got was a LONG time ago in the military I was forced to get the swine flu shot. It worked, I got the flu.
Haven’t had the flu in a lot of years, (knock wood).
This is anecdotal; however, I noticed the same thing.
I haven’t had one since 1978. I have been without flu for years.
Hope the flu shot maker wasn’t a FOO (Friend of Obama)
I always keep Cipro around.
A high fever started on Christmas Eve and lasted a week before breaking, and the next week I continued recuperating. This seems to be one of those twofers, or two episodes for the price of one. The congestion tries to move into the chest, making breathing more difficult. So, for some folks it may be wise to not get too rambunctious and risk another round of fever until the chest congestion has also cleared.
You are the reason we have lots of emerging resistance to antibiotics.
First, you most likely had a viral infection to begin with, OF COURSE you are going to feel better in 9 or 10 days.
Then you took an inadequate course of te antibiotic anyway. Kill off any easily susceptible germs ALLOW THE MORE RESISTANT ONES TO SURVIVE AND REPRODUCE.
But you of course know better.
The vaccine is effective for 100% of Influenza A strains and only 69% of the Influenza B strains.
Mine are rounded oblong.
“Are we sure that this isn’t another “un-wasted crisis” trumped up by the media and massaged by Obamites?”
Well’ my wife was laid up for a week with it. I am on the fence. Have all the symptoms but have yet to get fever.
Been self doctorin' for as long as I can remember.
I've stitched up a 2" gash in my knee ... maybe 40 years ago ... no scar.
Got my shot last December after I had heart surgery.
Flu? What flu? But its no laughing matter for those who come down with it.
So STAY HOME, DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS AND TAKE SOME TYLENOL OR MOTRIN.”
Exactly. I don’t understand people that run to the Dr. for something viral like the cold or influenza (unless a complication arises). It just has to run its course. When I come down with something like that, I stay home and as far away from others as I can, to avoid spreading the virus.
I heard from a medical doctor who’s not practicing medicine but doing statistics for major harmaceutical and health care companies that vaccination don’t really work.
Long time ago in India and the Philippines they found out that some vaccines were contaminated with HIV! Yikes!
Not to worry; if we get rid of all the guns, that will solve everything
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