Now is the time to discuss getting the flu shot with your host parents.  The “Flu” is generally thought of as a routine illness that makes you feel lousy for a week or two.  But the reality is that “Influenza” is an historically deadly illness in America.  Each year, different strains of the flu are passed from person to person.  Some years and in some people, the flu is not much worse than the common cold.  Some years, thousands of people accorss the US end up in hospitals with dangerous respiratory viruses that began as the flu and ended up as pneumonia or other dangerous complications.

According to WebMD, the Flu is “an extremely contagious respuratory illness…[that] appears most frequently in winter and early spring.  The flu virus attacks the body by spreading through the upper and/or lower respiratory tract.”  Symptoms of the flu include high fever, body aches, fatigue, weakness, and an increased likeliness of contracting pneumonia.  Flu symptoms can come on abruptly, and are extremely contagious.

New strains (or types) of the flu evolve every few years.  Scientists at the CDC (or Centers for Disease Control, a well-respected agency that is an off-shoot of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services) study and re-work the flu vaccine every year to tweak its components and make it effective against the up-and-coming version of the flu.  It is the reccommendation of the CDC that every healthy person in the US over the age of 6 months receive the flu shot.  

The influenza vaccine was invented in 1938 and has had varying degrees of effectiveness over the years.  In 1976, however, amid a very-well-reported bad outbreak of the flu, the US goverment injected a large amount of additional $$ funding into developing a more effective version of the vaccine.  The vaccine has developed steadily into an essential way of staying healthy.  It has been reccommended for virtually all children and adults since 2010.

There are many  anecdotal reports of people “getting sick from the flu shot.”  I’m sure we have all heard stories attesting to incidents of this happening.  Concerned, I began asking every doctor I knew about this.  To a person, they all told me that people cannot possibly get the flu from the flu vaccine.  But if they offered a reason for this social debate, I still couldn’t understand it. Until I asked my son’s pediatrican.  Dr. Peggy Legault is a very well respected doctor in Passadena who seems to believe in cautious action and logical analysis.  It all finally made sense to me when she told my wife and I that people don’t get sick from the flu shot, they get sick from going to the doctor’s office.  It makes sense: you go to a place where sick people go; you touch the door handle; you use their pen to sign in; you wipe a tear from your eyes after the shot; a week later you feel sick.

I strongly urge every Au Pair to do three things this month:  

1. Read about the flu shot from a respected independant source such as the CDC website.  Walgreens and Rite Aid also offer very good information, but their goal is to sell you the vaccine.  Thte Washington Post newspaper also offers a good independent article about flu shots.
2. Think about the children in your care and know that if you get the flu you will upset their routine dramatically for one to two weeks while you are stuck in bed not able to care for them.  Discuss vaccination with your host parents and ask them if they will pay for it.  There are many places you can get a flu shot for free, but even if you end up paying for it, it usually costs around $30.  Most host parents will be happy to pay for the vaccine to protect you, and those who don’t want to pay for it are usually able to help you find a free one.
3. Get the flu shot in an open public place, but don’t touch anything.  When you go into the clinic or pharmacy, only touch a door handle, pen or desk when you need to.  Be extremely concious of what your hands are doing, and don’t touch your face, especially your mouth or eyes.  Bring antibacterial gel or use their’s, and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after you leave.  For extra credit, wash change and wash your clothes and shoes when you get home.  By using a few minutes of extreme caution, You will prevent yourself from getting sick!

And just so you know that I “practice what I preach,” my whole family got our flu shots last week.  My son went to his pediatrician, where our insurance covered the cost.  My wife and I went to CVS where getting the shot was much quicker and easier than going to our doctor’s office, it was $38.