Coughs and colds have begun for another fun-filled year, and the really big threat is looming on the horizon: the flu.
The threat of influenza and related infections and illnesses doesn’t hit everybody, as indeed some people seem to get by every year without ever catching anything.
But for anyone who has had a bad cold, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, high fevers and tons of coughing, they know all about what pure misery such sicknesses can have.
Thus, the Sun Country Health Region will be starting up this season’s rounds of flu vaccinations, beginning on Monday, Oct. 23, with a full schedule of flu clinics in Weyburn and throughout the southeast region in many towns.
There are people who scoff at the suggestion of getting a flu shot, not really believing that getting these shots do any actual good. There are some people who amazingly never get sick, whether it’s by a healthy lifestyle or just having a robust immune system and staying active.
But most people are not in that situation. The majority of people have had experiences with colds and at times with more severe infections, occasionally requiring bed rest and lots of cough medicine, headache pills, antibiotics and hot lemon and honey, and of course, the old standby, chicken noodle soup.
Having been in the position of having a bad cold that turned really nasty, I can say unequivocally that it is definitely worth it to get a flu shot. You really don’t want to be in the position that I was in, where you have to be hospitalized.
This was a few years ago now, but I spent a total of eight days in hospital over Christmas, and I was released on New Year’s Eve day.
The first few days I was in, I had to be tended to in the ICU, and was in an isolation room for a few days as well until tests could determine if I had the dreaded H1N1 virus. (I didn’t, but until the tests came back, they didn’t know, since I was really sick with a strain of influenza and pneumonia.)
Since that time, each fall I get my flu vaccine without fail, and thankfully, I have not had a bad infection like that again. The vaccine does not guarantee that you never get the flu or a bad cold, but it can reduce the impact of the worst symptoms on your body. Believe me when I tell you, this is a real blessing.
There are some people who take a stand against such shots, and against vaccinations for other things for their children, such as for mumps and measles and so on.
The problem with these “principled” stands is that children become carriers of these dreaded illnesses, and the illnesses make a comeback amongst children who have no immunity for it yet. In other words, it’s a really bad idea that harms a lot of other people. For the good of everyone, get vaccinated whenever you can.
