The Importance of Flu Shots

Going on three days with a persistent fever, Soren woke up from his nap with a temperature of 104.  He not only appeared suddenly lethargic, but also just plain uncomfortable.  Chris hadn't even had a chance to unpack his bags after arriving home from Sao Paulo this morning, when we headed to urgent care.  Despite Soren's symptoms, the possibility of him having the flu didn't occur to me.  But his official diagnosis was Influenza B.  The good news is that Influenza B is much milder version of the flu than Influenza A, so if you're going to catch the flu, this is the one to catch. 

Contrary to the claims of the anti-vaccine camp, Soren catching the flu is an example of why the flu vaccine is important.  Yes, he was vaccinated and still got the flu.  As the New Yorker article For God's Sake, Go Get a Flu Shot explains, a third of vaccinated people will still get the flu.  (Soren's doctor said the same thing.) Guessing what strains of the flu will strike each winter and trying to come up with the most effective vaccine against those strains is the best we can do right now.  While it's not a perfect vaccine, two-thirds of the vaccinated population will still be flu-free.  And who knows how many other bullets Soren dodged this flu season. 

As for Soren, his doctor said that because of his flu shot, Soren's symptoms will most likely be milder and his recovery quicker.  And while he's young, I'm thankful he's not an infant and doesn't have a compromised immune system - two groups who can't get the flu shot, yet are in danger of the most complications if they catch it.  But he's still at risk of complications, such as pneumonia, and the doctor warned me that at a minimum, he's going to be uncomfortable (translation: bad sleep=cranky baby=sleep-deprived parents=cranky parents) for another couple of days.  So, no, I don't take the flu, or the risk of it, lightly.     

To those people who proclaim they don't need the flu shot because they've never gotten the flu, I say you're just lucky.