The Cellar - The Flu

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- - The Flu (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=19270)

Follow the activity. We are entering peak season.

http://www.google.org/flutrends/

Study finds flu vaccine benefits for older workers
Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer

Jan 14, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Workers ages 50 to 64 who get their annual flu shots miss less work and experience less of a productivity drop-off than those who don't, according to a new study, findings that might help public officials lift immunization rates among this age-group.

Authors from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Minnesota, who published their report in the Feb 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID), wrote that scarce information on the impact of the flu and on the benefits of vaccination in this age-group might be one reason for low vaccination rates in this group.

This, in spite of the fact that workers in this age range have been targeted for influenza vaccines since the 2000-2001 flu season.

Kristin L. Nichol, MD, MPH, lead author of the study, said yesterday in a press release from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) that concerns this flu season about antiviral resistance highlight the importance of immunizations. "This study is a reminder of the importance of the influenza vaccine. It's not too late to get your flu shot," she said.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...adults-jw.html

I had to get one of those. I really, really did not want it but my doc insisted. He said coz of the cancer history. Cancer, Shmancer. I don't think flu shots do any good. By the time they've got the recipe, the flu has mutated.

I would trust this map and set of graphics a bit more than the last one from Google:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

North Carolina looks like it is heating up this last week.

My wife teaches college.

Every year at least one of her students is out with "the flew."

Thank god we are no longer leaving any children behind.

Quote:

Workers ages 50 to 64 who get their annual flu shots miss less work and experience less of a productivity drop-off than those who don't, according to a new study, findings that might help public officials lift immunization rates among this age-group.

I wonder if workers in that age group are more confident, and in a better financial position, to miss work?

In this day and age, when many more people are going back to work or working later in life, I don't think that would be as true today as it would have been say 20 years ago.

The bigger issue that is missed by the average joe who fails to get the flu shot or does in fact get the flu is that lots of people die from the normal flu every year. But no one really talks that much about it. People on immunosuppressive drugs, old people, babies, etc are all people who die from it.

Activity is picking up. See the map at the bottom of the link.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

You know, the thing that annoys me most about flu season is when people with a simple cold go around moaning that they've got the flu. If they had the flu they wouldn't have the energy to moan!

True dat!

If you have the flu, stay the fuck home. Please stop the spread. And by all means, please wash your hands frequently!

Thank you.

Exactly...and don't touch my fucking tissues either!

Yesterday I participated in a drill in case of pandemic. The scenario involved flu (2nd wave) and routing about 15,000 people through the vaccination process. This is the first year I took a flu shot, but after going through the drill I may be getting one next year, too. It reinforced its contagiousness in my mind.

I keep waiting for the bird flu to take that special mutation turn in it's genetic makeup. Then, watch out!