Flu: The Shot
I forgot to write about this, but I got a flu shot last Friday. Now, the flu shot is a prophylactic (site note: I am impressed with myself for spelling that word correctly WITHOUT a dictionary or any other spelling aid) against future sickness. But did you know it can sorta make you sick!? It can.
Apparently the process of makin’ antibodies can give you the side effect of fever and also making your arm (the one that is shot) sore. I was pretty much out of commission with a huge headache and general blah feeling on Friday evening.
I was thinking about the flu shot. It doesn’t contain all of the flu strains; just the ones that “scientists” think will be around during flu season. So these “scientists” just pray that the flu strains they picked will be the ones that people will be inoculated with.
This kinda doesn’t make sense to me. If a large portion of the population is immune against many different types of flu, wouldn’t that make less competition for a strain that isn’t in the flu shot to take control? It’s basically like giving one flu the monopoly on humans. I’m not sure it works that way, but it seems to make sense. I suppose there’s very few strains of flu so that makes it less likely that one flu would take over. Plus tons of people don’t get the shot anyway. I’m not an epidemiologist or anything, so don’t take my word for it!
Either way, I hope I don’t get knocked on my ass by the flu like last year!