Posted on 09/28/2012 12:49:14 AM PDT by LucyT
Last year's flu shot won't shield you this year: Two new strains of influenza have begun circling the globe, and the updated vaccine appears to work well against them, government officials said Thursday.
[snip]
Influenza strains constantly evolve, and some cause more illness than others.
"...strains from the H3N2 family tend to be harsher than some other flu types, and a new H3N2 strain is included in this year's vaccine because it is circulating in parts of the world.
Only one ingredient in this year's flu vaccine was retained from last year's, protection against the H1N1 strain that caused the 2009 swine flu pandemic and has been the main kind of influenza circulating since. Also new in this year's shot is protection against a different Type B strain.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
“hmmm...putting what time I set my alarm clock to injecting chemicals into my body on the same playing field. kind went off the rails there, pal.”
Is it? There is good reason why hospital employees should be vaccinated. There is a whole host of things required for different jobs. steel-toed boots, TB tests, dexterity tests. If you wish to argue that the flu is not a public health threat, then fine. But identifying a highly-communicable virus as such is not unusual or even uncalled for. Your extrapolation is not reasonable.
Those darn clueless people.
If it were employees of a health food store recommending echinacea to customers, they'd probably be arrested for practicing medicine without a license. But since it's for corporate profit, it's "perfectly acceptable" for a non-health professional to recommend an invasive procedure to a total stranger whose health history is unknown to them.
(actually, if i start thinking BigPharma - i have to ratchet it up to tequila...and I *really* can't do that at work)
;)
The bottom line is that influenza mutates frequently because it has a far more flexible genetic pattern then is typical for viruses.
It is known to share genetic information between strains, and exists in a milieu of constant natural selection. Multiple strains can coexist in the same animal, competing with each other for dominance.
The annual vaccine is based on the “top three contenders” of viruses expected to propagate during a flu season. But mutations can happen very quickly, which can lessen or negate the vaccine. The closer the virus is to a former virus, the easier it is for the immune system to notice and react to.
If a virus is truly novel, it only takes a tiny amount to cause an infection, because the body does not recognize it until it establishes a foothold. A more familiar virus will require bulk contamination to overwhelm the immune system.
An air temperature of 40F with low humidity is optimal for spreading influenza by coughing and sneezing. It becomes much harder at higher temperatures and humidity, so the flu becomes more dependent on physical contamination, usually via the hands.
This is why if you are in public during an epidemic, and you use hand sanitizer about six times a day, you reduce your chances of catching the flu by over 60%. (If you have visible contamination on your hands, use soap and water first.)
Good Vitamin D levels in the blood are also essential to preventing flu and reducing its severity. Vitamin D has several different ways of directly attacking viruses and getting the immune system properly responding to them, without overreacting.
The right form of metallic zinc in the mucous membranes is also a big help, because zinc inhibits viral reproduction. Ordinary zinc supplements do not help much because that form of zinc is not readily absorbed by the mucous membranes. So the use of Cold-Eeze lozenges or Zicam spray at the first sign of symptoms is a great idea. (These have the coveted FDA approval for the statement “reduces duration and severity”, which few medicines or supplements can say.)
The bottom line is that getting the flu vaccine is a good idea, because they are usually right with their guesses. If you are over 60 years old, it is good to get an early season vaccination then a mid-season booster (same shot), because older people seem to not retain immunity as long.
But everyone should keep their Vitamin D levels up with supplements (sunlight can take 2-3 days to get Vitamin D into the blood, so supplements are faster.) And everyone should use hand sanitizer when out and about during the flu season.
Finally, remember that if it is cold and dry out, to be careful of coughing and sneezing as well.
I’ve gotten a flu shot every fall for years. I got mine early this year, since I happened to be in the pharmacy when they were giving them.
I have reduced immunity because my spleen was removed and I underwent chemotherapy for Hodgkins about 20 years ago. FWIW, I have no observable reaction at all to the flu shots that I’ve gotten over the past 5 or 10 years. I used to get a bit sore where it was given, but no longer.
As for mandating flu shots for hospital workers, I’m afraid that makes sense. Hospitals are necessary, but they are also cesspits of infection, even when well run. If you want to be a health care worker, then you want to reduce the risk of giving the flu to your patients.
There were times in the past, I think, when some shots had the wrong stuff in them. I think that was especially true of those anthrax shots given to the military. But those were the exceptions. Ordinarily, you are safer getting shots than getting paranoid about them.
I know a young woman who refuses to give shots to her daughter. She is big on organic food and she makes and sells herbal medicines. Her daughter was a premie. Now she’s in pretty good form, but she gets every known infection and recurrently suffers from fever. I like the kid, she’s very sweet, but I keep my distance when she’s around, because she always seems to be spreading some infection or other. Maybe a few preventive shots might be a better choice for her than her mother’s paranoid avoidance of them.
Just saying.
Yes, agreed. Vitamin D3 is essential, especially in the winter or any time you aren’t getting enough sun. I read about it on the internet, spoke to my doctor about it, and within a year my doctor was putting everyone on a vitamin D regimen.
I get annual flu shots too. But I suspect the Vitamin D is equally responsible for the fact that I haven’t gotten the flu for years, although it used to be pretty much a yearly occurence for me.
The best bet, when there is a serious epidemic, is to attack it from a bunch of different directions.
1) Avoidance and minimization. You may not be able to keep it all out, but you can try to limit how much you get at once so your immune system can prepare for it.
2) Zinc in the sinuses limits how fast it can create a foothold. If there is congestion, gargle with warm, salty water to bust up the mucous growth medium.
3) Vitamin D is the next step, and some suggest large amounts of cranberry juice as well, as it is known to block cell uptake of several viruses by preventing their binding to the cell. This might block the Influenza hemagglutinin (”h” factor) as well. But cranberry juice only works in strong concentration.
4) When an influenza is a really bad one, set aside any reservations and get the vaccine. The last really nasty one to hit the US was the Hong Kong flu of 1968-69, and it incapacitated many adults for months.
H5N1 is still a terrible threat on the horizon, and it is just mystifying why it has not yet emerged as a human to human disease. Some estimates of fatalities for it go as high as 1 billion.
Are those same employee's MANDATED to work there?
Your ingesting "chemicals" on a daily basis, including those found in your white zin.
Exactly.
Not to mention...there are plenty of other cases where certain vaccinations are required as a condition of employment in a certain business / field.
One example, the Hepatitis A Vaccination for food service workers is a common requirement for employment.
By way of googling...
Hepatitis A Vaccination Requirements FAQ
Shots, Requirements, OrdinanceWho should get the vaccination? All food handlers* in Saint Louis County will need to be vaccinated against hepatitis A.
...
*Definition of food handler in Bill No. 473, 1999 Section 807.305.3: > “For purposes of this section, 'food handler' shall mean a person who is employed by any person or entity in any capacity which requires the preparation, handling or touching of any food (except uncut produce), utensils, serving items or kitchen or serving area surfaces or materials, in a place where food that is intended for individual service and consumption is routinely provided completely prepared, regardless of whether consumption is on or off the premises and regardless of whether there is a charge for the food. Such places include restaurants, hospital cafeterias, school and nursing home kitchens, day care facilities, residential group homes, caterers, banquet facilities, coffee shops, cafeterias, short order cafes, luncheonettes, taverns, sandwich stands, soda fountains, food vending carts and all other eating or drinking establishments, as well as kitchens, commissaries or other places in which food or drink is prepared for individual sale elsewhere. The term does not include a private home where food is prepared for noncommercial home use, and it does not include the location of food vending machines.”
March, 2005
but I digress.
No, they aren’t...but they should have been told that they MAY be subject to invasive procedures at some point coming in the door. There are people that have been working at these facilities for years that are frightened at being subjected to MANDATORY flu shots; especially those who have NO patient contact at all. If the economy were better; many of them probably would quit rather than being treated like lab rats. Good luck to them, I guess...
The way our family almost always gets sick is through the public schools. We have a lot of children and grandchildren, and they pass the bugs around.
The schools are hotbeds of communicable diseases because so many parents both have to go to work. So they send their kids to school pretty much no matter what, temperatures and all. Then the whole class gets it, and brings it back home.
I can understand why some people think that mandated shots for school children is Big Brotherish, but then how many of those same folks send their kids to school when they get sick, because there’s no one to watch them at home?
Great info. Vaccinations are an important part of staying healthy. Once I hit 40 I have never missed a flu shot.
Got my flu shot almost 2 weeks ago at work. I have gotten them since 2002. This year I actually got sick for the first time about 12 hours after getting it so it certainly is full of new strains.
yup. my choice.
yup. my choice.
A 3-Year Search Uncovers Novel Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
FReepmail me if you want on or off my combined microbiology/immunology ping list.
My arm is still red and warm in the injection spot three days later. Must have been some new stuff. I get them because I travel and meet with all kinds of folks. I don’t want to spread the flu regionally or to my grandkids.
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