† {ONE} †

[decadent_black]

It is that time of year again, ladies and gentlemen. The temperature is dropping, the sky is transforming from blue to gray, and more and more often we see people walking around with enough padding to suit NFL players. Ah, yes... flu season

Comments

[decadent_black]

There is something called FluMist, actually. It is a nasal spray vaccine that is often available in good supply when there seem to be shortages of vaccination flu shots. There are, of course, a few stipulations. Only healthy individuals between the ages of 2 to 49 are eligible to receive FluMist. Also, it tends to be more expensive than the flu shot itself, and most insurance companies don't cover FluMist. Also important to note is that FluMist should not be given to anyone, especially young children, with any egg allergies.

There are antiviral drugs that are also available, but the influenza virus has, in the past, built up quite a bit of resistance to two of the known, previously helpful kinds. Oseltamivir (also known as Tamiflu) has not yet been proven ineffective against influenza, and so it does stand as one alternative to the shot, and the nasal spray.

Oseltamivir is also known to shorten the lifespan of the flu virus within the human body if taken, say, one or two days (approximately) after initial symptoms begin to show. It is also recommended to take this drug if someone you know and have recently been in contact with has caught the influenza virus.

It is important to note, however, that Oseltamivir is not an immunization like the flu shot.