Influenza
I was recently surprised to find that many students at Yo San report that they have never had the flu and therefore do not consider flu shots to be necessary. I would like to present some general facts that represent important information for any health care provider. First of all, symptoms of influenza usually include an abrupt onset of fever, chills, frontal headache, malaise (sometimes “can’t get out of bed” fatigue), muscle aches, et cetera, which vary in severity from a “bad cold” to total prostration for 3 to 5 days. It can also include cough, sore throat and, in children, some stomach symptoms. Many flu victims do not completely recover for one to two weeks, and much school and work time can be lost. There are also some serious potential complications.
The Public Health Department collects an enormous amount of detailed information yearly, all of which is available on county, state and national websites. In general, there are mild years and severe years for flu depending on the viral subtypes that are dominant. There are historically important years like 1918 (I wasn’t born yet) when large numbers of people died in great pandemics, even healthy young adults. More commonly, flu is an equal opportunity virus and attacks all age groups, the most vulnerable being children less than two years old, pregnant women, the elderly, anyone with heart, lung, kidney disease and those who are immunosuppressed including AIDS and cancer patients.
The flu season usually extends from November to March but sometimes produces sporadic cases all the way to May. Complications of the flu include pneumonia (viral, bacterial or a combination of both), myositis (muscle breakdown with possible kidney failure), myocarditis, pericarditis, encephalitis, transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Reye’s syndrome. I have personally seen all of these complications.
I have heard pundits claim that the flu shot does not work. However, the public health statistics prove this wrong. What is true is that unlike the live viral vaccines, such as the measles, mumps and rubella, the flu vaccine, which is composed of inactivated viral particles, do not convey a lifetime immunity. That means that the flu vaccine must be renewed every year in order to be effective. Making the flu vaccine is not an easy task. There are three basic flu types: A, B, and C. Type C is usually mild. Type A includes all the crossover animal viruses, like bird flu and swine flu. Every year the dominant group of viral strains change. So the composition of the vaccine is a very sophisticated and well-studied prediciton of what that group of viruses will be.
The only true contraindication for the flu vaccine is allergy to eggs since the serum is made with eggs. However, it is often not recommended by practitioners for those who have had a previous “bad reaction”. I can tell you personally from being on the “front lines” during more than 30 years of flu seasons in Los Angeles, the promotion of flu shots have greatly reduced the work load of physicians and hospitals. Years ago before these promotions, hospitals and clinics were overflowing during the flu season. Now we have less hospitals in L.A. because many have closed and we have a larger population but the flu seasons are not as intense thanks to the flu vaccine.