<p>Sorry to hear she is sick, SplashMom, but thanks for the warning - that means the flu is headed this way.</p>
<p>No flu here yet, I’ve been polling clinicians the last couple of weeks, and we have had NO positive tests for A or B. What we have had is a particularly nasty respiratory virus with a penchant for long, long periods of cough after the acute symptoms are gone, bronchitis (see cough) and sinusitis (see cough).</p>
<p>I have no supporting scientific data, but we tend to have flu later than other areas of the country, and if we have a mild winter (like this winter so far), we have less flu. Another observation I have made without data is that if a wave of non-flu viral illness goes thru early, then we see less real flu - heightened antibodies, or people just not congregating together because they are already sick??</p>
<p>The problem is that the vaccine takes many months to produce and they are trying to hit a moving target with it. The flu virus is very clever; it is constantly mutating in order to keep coming back and reinfecting everybody year after year. So the vaccine scientists must keep close tabs on what the prevalent strains are currently up to, and they must predict what the viruses will look like 10 or so months in the future when the vaccine is finally finished and ready for distribution. Some years they do a better job at predicting than others. But even in the worst years the vaccine offers significant partial protection. And when facing a nasty bug like influenza, you need all the help you can get.</p>
<p>I understand why the strain can’t always be accurately predicted.
But I guess I don’t understand about how a vaccine can offer partial protection.
I don’t really get that sick- so are you saying that since I have asthma ( and I know this is what the nurses from my insurance company told me to do) I should get the vaccine, because then I may be partially protected? I don’t think anything could stop it from going into my lungs, and I just worry that vaccines will compromise my own immune system</p>
<p>I got a flu shot for the first time this year and am glad I did. My secretary was out for 2 weeks with it (though she probably didn’t need to be out <em>quite</em> that long…) and others have saaid it just lingers and lingers.</p>
<p>My older s. had a bad case of pneumonia in January, and during the course of getting his illness diagnosed (they thought he’d picked up an exotic disease in South America) I got my younger s. a flu shot, just in case…</p>
<p>Two years ago my older s. got the flu just before we were about to head ourt on a winter ski vacation. We got him Tamiflu or Relenza (I forget which), and they recommended I take the flumist. When I told the MD I didn’t qualify to take it, he looked puzzled and asked why. I had to confess that I was just a tad older than the maximum age limit for it (49). He was quite surprised- couldn’t believe it- said I didn’t look at all my age. I asked him for those statements in writing :)</p>
<p>No but I have had stuff running down the back of my throat and a cough for like 2 weeks now. More of an annoyance than anything else. I think it’s allergies due to the mild winter we’re having here in Md.</p>
<p>Ekitty - the flu virus has 2 major “virulence” proteins - these are the “H” and the “N” that you hear about in the name of the bird flu H5N1, or whatever it is. Anyway these proteins are involved in poking a hole in the cell wall to allow the flu virus to get into respiratory cells, multiply, rupture and kill the cell, then move on to another cell or another person.
The proteins poke holes in the cell walls with varying degrees of efficiency. </p>
<p>Your body makes antibodies that recognize these proteins of the flu virus, bind to them and prevent them from attaching to the next cell. The vaccine contains fragments of the H and N proteins that stimulate your body to make the antibodies - in a way it fools your body into acting as if you have already had the flu. The flu proteins change a little every year. Even if the vaccine company didn’t do a super job predicting which proteins to include in the vaccine, there is usually not enough “antigenic drift” to make the vaccine ineffective - the antibodies your body makes may not be absolute perfect matches, but they will slow down the proteins enough to prevent you from getting sick, or you get less sick.</p>
<p>This is not exactly the mechanism, but should give you an idea. Coureur will know this - i’m not sure if bird flu is supposed to have very different proteins than common flu, so that there is less partial immunity, or if the proteins infect cells much more efficiently - I think both may be true. I know Coureur has said this before - the viruses that we have lifelong vaccines for - like smallpox or polio - don’t show antigenic drift (mutation) at anything like the rate flu does. Flu is a much more efficient disease (from the virus’s point of view) than say smallpox.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t presume to give you medical advice specific for your case. For that you should always consult with your doctor.</p>
<p>But speaking IN GENERAL, the partial protection that even an imperfect vaccine provides is a very good thing. Cangel has explained the mechanism. And again, in general, a vaccine gives a boost to your immune system rather than weakens it. What it really does is gives your immune system a “head start” in responding to the flu virus. So when the real thing comes along it can much more readily defeat it. If it defeats it so thoroughly that you never feel sick, it provided full protection. If you still got a little sick, it provided partial protection.<br>
But if you don’t get any vaccine at all… well, you are on your own.</p>
<p>I’m almost afraid to post this…to tempt the fates…but we have all been incredibly healthy here for the longest time! No flu as of yet, thank goodness. Now, I’d better go and find some wood…</p>
<p>Splashmom~</p>
<p>Hope your daughter starts feeling better VERY soon!! {{{{{{hugs}}}}} to her! ~berurah</p>
<p>Thanks for all that info, coureur and cangel and thanks to all for the get well wishes for DD. I have certainly learned my lesson and we will be more consistent about getting our flu shots from here on out. DD stayed home in the bed today. She called me at midday to say she had vomited a couple of times. When I got home, she still looked bad and had fever again. She downed some Advil and drank some tea and started feeling better a couple of hours ago. She took a shower and proclaimed she felt almost well enough to feel guilty for not being able to go to work this weekend. I told her I thought that was probably the Advil talking and that people truly don’t want a girl with influenza dipping their ice cream for them. Her doctor told her she probably should not return to work until Wednesday. I think we can all learn a lesson from this … don’t think it can’t happen to you … get the vaccine! Stay well, all! :)</p>
<p>Well wishes for SplashMom’s D! May we all stay ridiculously healthy during this cold and flu season. I don’t know what would happen if I got the flu at this point. I’ve not had it since 1972—honest! I just hope to God that our college kids don’t come down with it. Just thinking about them that sick and away from home to boot, makes the anxious mom come out in me.</p>
<p>I work in a large hospital in NE pa and I haven’t seen one case yet of positive flu in my patients. usually by this time at least there has been one nursing home shut down and lots of patients. it seems weird to me, is the flu season delayed or something?</p>