As my battle against the flu approaches nearly a week, I was advised earlier today by a friend that it took him fourteen days to shake the illness. My voice is nearly gone, the mucus build-up is disgusting, and I am hydrating as often as I can. The worst of the misery is over, but the cough and congestion is raging.
What a wonderful Christmas gift.
The flu is moving quickly through the country, but the strains are not your usual mix. The CDC reports that while getting a flu shot will help defend you against H1N1, and a couple strains of influenza B, there is no protection for H3N2, and that is the sucker primarily marching through the States. It's a nasty little bugger, and among the very old and the very young, it is especially vicious. So far this season, the virus has killed 11 children.
"Because the H3N2 is dominating, we probably will see more disease," said a CDC representative. "There might be reduced protection as opposed to zero protection."
That doesn't mean, according to experts, that you should not get a flu shot. The vaccine can still reduce the severity of the flu, and will still protect you against some of the strains floating around.
It is also important to remember as flu season makes its rounds, it could go on as late as May.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Flu outbreak spreading rapidly in U.S. - CBS News
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