is the flu really hitting hard this year? (Pittsburgh: 2014, homes)

[BarqCider]

so says few folks who are sick. How am I not sick? no idea, but im glad I don't sit around campus long enough to find out at pitt.

[Hopes]

Don't brag yet about not being sick. Flu season lasts until the end of March. February is the peak month. It's hitting Allegheny County harder than the rest of the county. They reported last night on the news that there are over 500 people and 14 died so far. That 500 is lower than the real numbers because many people don't go to the doctor when they have the flu.

This is the first year in many that I didn't get my flu shot, but last year's shot had protection from the Swine Flu so I at least have that. My son didn't get this year's shot either, but all of his roommates had Swine Flu last month. He's the only one who didn't catch it. That's amazing because they were vomiting in the sinks and everything. I'll need to worry about the new strains. I'm sitting on the fence deciding to get the shot late this season for fear I might have been exposed a few days before the shot.

Just make sure to wash your hands before you touch your face or eat.

[I_Like_Spam]

I've never received a flu shot and the last time I got sick with it was 1993.

The closest I came was when I was in college in 1976. I was standing in line for the shot, but was called out of line by one of my cronies as my assistance was needed to kill a keg. I never did get the shot.

I like to save my immunization experiences for serious diseases like smallpox, tetanus and polio.

[Pghuser]

The flu can be very serious.

[Hopes]

It's good to know you'll always help a buddy out when he's in need, ILS.

I never had shots until I became a high risk for complications. I'm much stronger now, but I'm not taking any chances.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Pghuser

The flu can be very serious.

Drink a lot of water, take it easy, over the counter flu medicine, in a week or so you'll feel fine.

Maybe if someone is enduring a serious infirmity like cancer which weakens their immune system, it might be prudent to take the shot, as well as folks who work in nursing homes so as not to infect the residents, but most folks can pass on it.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Drink a lot of water, take it easy, over the counter flu medicine, in a week or so you'll feel fine.

Maybe if someone is enduring a serious infirmity like cancer which weakens their immune system, it might be prudent to take the shot, as well as folks who work in nursing homes so as not to infect the residents, but most folks can pass on it.

Common respiratory diseases like asthma can put people at high risk. There are also many other common things that weaken the immune system besides cancer. Even for people who are healthy, I see no point in being out of commission for a week.

I've only had the flu once in my adult life. It was my mid 20s when I wasn't high risk. Even healthy, I ended up in the emergency room for dehydration. My neighbor ended up in a coma just hours after the flu started. Dehydration. His kidneys shut down. He was in a coma for 3 months. It's a miracle he survived. He was healthy too.

Every flu season is different. This year's strains are targeting young, healthy adults. They are the ones more at risk of death this year.

H1N1 flu striking young adults the most - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[PreservationPioneer]

I believe I had the swine flu. It all started on New Year's Day and I was horribly sick for about 6-7 days, and ran a high fever for 3-4 days. It was miserable!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

I believe I had the swine flu. It all started on New Year's Day and I was horribly sick for about 6-7 days, and ran a high fever for 3-4 days. It was miserable!

I'm sorry to hear that. If it was the Swine Flu, you will have some ongoing protection in the future. H1N1 is hitting younger people worse because older people were already exposed to it in the 60s and 70s.

I'm trying to find out the incubation period so I know how long to wait after I was last exposed to the public before getting my flu shot. It seems the normal flu is 1 to 3 days with an average of 2 days. Swine Flu seems to have a 1 to 7 day incubation period. That means you were probably exposed to the virus around Christmas. Then again, even on New Years Eve if the incubation was only 1 day. For people who aren't constantly exposed to the public via things like daily public transportation, it's usually easy to figure out where and when it happened.

[Caladium]

Just my two cents, but I used to catch the flu every other year. Then I decided to stop doing two things during flu season, and since then I've never caught it again.

1. I'm normally a fan of mass transit, but when the flu is going around I try to avoid buses and trains.

2. I never order take out food during flu season. To some degree I also avoid restaurants, since you run the same risk of someone in the kitchen having germs. but at least in a restaurant it's a little easier to avoid sitting near a sick person. With takeout you just never know if someone sick has been driving around sneezing while your food is in the car absorbing germs. Better to buy groceries, wash them thoroughly, and cook your own meals.