Flu News

I recently returned to Iowa from a month in Vancouver, British Columbia, where H1N1 flu is rampant, most likely due to the thousands of people visiting this multi-cultural city from all over the world, preparing for the 2010 winter Olympics. What’s interesting about this flu season in Canada is that, in September, most provinces halted the practice of giving seasonal flu shots, for health reasons. Preliminary scientific studies in Canada show that people given ordinary seasonal flu shots are twice as likely to contract the H1N1 virus. That contradicts findings in the E.U., Australia, and the U.S. In September most Canadian provinces halted giving regular flu shots to people under age 65.

The Canadian studies are currently under peer review. Still, I find it interesting that this news is not widely reported in the U.S. It strains what little faith I have left in the credibility of news organizations.

I normally don’t get seasonal flu shots, but because I plan to be traveling a good part of this winter, and because I hate being sick (especially while away from home) I got a shot in early September, as soon as the vaccine became available. While in Vancouver I enjoyed live music with friends in a crowded nightclub on a rainy Saturday night. Sunday night I felt weird, sort of out-of-body. Monday my throat was getting scratchy and sore. Tuesday I felt a fever coming on. Wednesday and Thursday were spent in bed; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the couch watching all five seasons of “Six Feet Under” back to back.

I’m usually vigilant and somewhat cynical about news reports, and prefer doing my own research. But I continue to find it interesting where I lapse and buy into the news feed. Getting a seasonal flu shot was one of those lapses of reason.

Whether it’s true or not that getting a seasonal flu shot makes you more susceptible to H1N1, I still got sick. I think I had H1N1; I don’t know for sure because docs in Vancouver don’t want sick people in their offices simply to be swabbed. My symptoms were classic H1N1—fever (though not high), cough (the worst part for me), headache, runny nose, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, sometimes vomiting and diahrea (but I escaped that fate).

What’s scary about this virus is how extremely contagious it is, how it lingers long after the initial onset of sickness, and the susceptibility for secondary infection. No one seems certain at just what points a person is contagious. I’ve heard of people coughing and waking up with night sweats for more than a month. That seems to be where I’m headed.

I apologize to all of you who listened when I advised getting a seasonal flu shot this year. I now believe I was wrong. It helps to view your skin as a sacred barrier to the intimacy of your body, and not puncture it without much consideration. I promise to be more vigilant with advice in the future.

Linda Hunter, October 16, 2009

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