The Daily Flu

I get a lot of questions about everyone's medical problems: Why does my knee hurt? What is Leukemia? Why can't we cure cancer? What causes glaucoma? I never mind taking a stab at these after a little research, but I actually have degrees in Microbiology - bacteria, viruses, parasites, and the occasional prions. I always tell people that I can't give them advice on their wierd ailment, but call me when you have an infection (and I hope you never do). So, its a little frustrating when someone asks me about something I actually understand, and then they tell me I'm wrong.

This week I got a cold. I always get a cold when the weather changes. But! My Mom will swear that its b/c I got the flu shot the week before. There are 2 things that make this a scientific impossibility:

1. The flu vaccine is made from a DEAD virus. I think you will probably admit that you know of rare occasions when something dead comes back to life (the resurrection of Christ and perhaps the occasional palmetto bug). So, I hope you would then agree that it is highly unlikely that a dead virus would come back to life to make you sick. To me, this makes logical sense.

2. The flu vaccine contains dead INFLUENZA virus. Influenza virus doesn't cause colds - not even really bad ones. Colds are most often caused by Rhinoviruses or Adenoviruses, but can also be attributed to metapneumoviruses, enteroviruses, coronaviruses, human parainfluenza viruses, and human respiratory syncytial viruses. I hope that you would agree that you don't get the chickenpox from your measles vaccine - same principle.

So.. please know that you didn't get your cold from the flu vaccine. If you got the flu within 2 weeks after the vaccine, you also didn't get the flu from the flu vaccine - you caught the flu before the vaccine took effect.

Then Mom and I went on to have the discussion about why she should (or shouldn't in her opinion) get the flu vaccine. I'm all for you catching the flu if you don't want the vaccine (I didn't get it for years while in grad school). Yes, its not 100% effective. Yes, you can still get the flu if you've had the vaccine. This is b/c the selection of dead viruses that make up the vaccine is an educated guess based on surveillance of circulating viruses around the world. But remember that if you look after someone who is particularly susceptible to the flu and could possibly die from it (each year about 36,000 people die from the flu - mostly the elderly, but kids are also at risk), its better to do whatever you can to a) keep yourself well so you can care for them if they are sick or b) prevent yourself from getting sick so that you can continue to care for them. Its not 100%, but it drastically reduces your chances. Don had the flu a couple of years ago. I had gotten the vaccine. I looked after him and didn't get sick - totally worth it.

So, there's your virology lesson for the day. The flu vaccine is safe, and while I really don't care if you get it or not, just be educated. :) If you're interested, you can visit the DHEC website: http://www.scdhec.net/flu/