As the air cools and summer turns into autumn, the wonderful colors that emerge on tree leaves are accompanied by the seemingly overnight emergence of ubiquitous signs reminding the general public to get their flu shots as soon as possible. Every pharmacy in sight sports notices persuading you to get your flu shot even UNC’s Student Stores. And yet, this is understandable. Despite its colloquial name (“the flu”) and its prevalence in conversation during the flu season, the severity of the influenza virus is often understated; many people every year are hospitalized because of a flu infection, and an influenza infection can even result in death. Yet, interestingly, perhaps because of its concurrence with the seasonal increase in the less-severe common cold, the common perception often equates the flu with the cold. It is difficult to determine the direction of causality here – maybe downplaying the flu leads to stronger efforts to get people to vaccinate, and perhaps the prevalence of vaccinations desensitizes the public to its potential epidemic danger.
The flu is notorious for being easily spread and highly contagious; anyone could have the flu. It is spread by respiratory droplets that are expelled from an infected individual via uncovered sneezes, coughs, and even talking. The virus can be especially dangerous to persons with compromised immunity, such as children, the immunocompromised, and patients susceptible to secondary infection. The CDC has already reported 78 pediatric influenza-related deaths during the 2019-2020 flu season out of a total of 12,000. They have also reported a total of at least 22 million influenza illnesses, and a general increase in the trend of influenza activity. Also, the percentage of total deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza has climbed to 7.1%, which is still under the 7.2% threshold for an epidemic, albeit very close.
On the other side of this seasonal battle lies the flu vaccine, which has been shown to be effective, despite what some may say on social media. Many studies have constantly proved the efficacy of the different types of flu vaccines and showed a lack of any accompanying adverse effects. Although the efficacy estimates for the current flu vaccine in the 2019-2020 season have yet to be released, the CDC reports that vaccination remains the best way to prevent both the flu and any associated complications. Luckily, current antivirals suggested for use during this flu season have also been reported to be effective on almost all viruses that have been subjected to laboratory testing this season. All in all, even if we are all possible contributors to the spread this highly contagious virus, it would appear that this flu season isn’t any worse than what we’ve already made it through.
Is Cereal a Soup 