It’s that time of year again. The flu virus is back in town. To prevent a return visit to your home, take our true-or-false flu quiz. Let’s see if you’re smarter than that annoying flu bug:
True or False?
1. The flu vaccine can give you the flu.
False, so false. The viruses in the flu-shot formula are either killed or totally inactivated; in the nasal spray vaccine, they’re wimpier than a wet noodle. Neither form can infect you.
2. The flu vaccine protects you against only one strain.
False. There are loads of different flu viruses, and each year, flu experts develop a combo vaccine against the projected top three strains for the next flu season. So the 2010 – 2011 vaccine protects against the three main strains around now – yes, one of them is H1N1, which could make a repeat appearance.
3. Flu shots may lower your chances of having a heart attack.
True. If you’re over 40, a study published this fall underlines what you may have heard us say a while ago: The flu shot can lower your risk of a heart attack by 19 percent. Your odds are even better if you get it by mid-November.
4. Pregnant moms should not get the flu vaccine; it endangers the fetus.
False. The reverse is true. A new study confirms that newborns whose moms were smart enough to get immunized are less likely to get the flu in their first six months, when they’re most vulnerable to life-threatening cases of flu.
5. Healthy kids do not need a flu shot.
False. Vaccinating healthy kids is one of the best ways to protect them and everyone around them, emphasizes a new Canadian study. Kids have higher concentrations of the flu virus and carry it longer, making them more infectious.
6. You must get a flu shot before December.
False. The sooner the better, but it’s effective any time. While flu season peaks in February, it can strike as late as May.
7. I’m an idiot if my family and I don’t get a flu shot this year.
True. Unless you have an egg allergy, a history of severe reaction or are ill with a high fever, the worst side effect is a sore arm.
*Copied from “The You Docs”, Athens Banner Herald. 11/16/10
So quit stalling. Come by or call Homer Drug Company or Tiger Town Pharmacy for your flu vaccination.
Covered by Medicare and some insurances.
