No BULL...Get Your FLU SHOT!

Yes, it's only September, but we've been seeing cases of the flu all month! Today the University of Texas kicked off our 2016 flu shot campaign, and happily, students were lined up and ready to go. Our staff does a wonderful job of efficiently providing vaccines for students, faculty and staff- Hook 'em! The vaccines are widely available now, in your doctor's office, pharmacies and even grocery stores.

WHO: EVERYONE that is 6 months old & up (*with rare exceptions*)

WHY: THOUSANDS of people die from flu every year, here in the United States- between 3000-49,000 deaths. Hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and many millions seek care with their own doctors, costing our healthcare system over $10 BILLION each year for direct flu-related costs. Closer to home- how many days can YOU (or your kids) afford to stay home sick or try to function with miserable flu symptoms?

The flu vaccine is not perfect, since new strains emerge each year and scientists are not yet clairvoyant. If you get the vaccine, you MIGHT still get the flu- but your illness should be much milder than if you were not vaccinated. Flu vaccines do NOT cause the flu- repeat- DO NOT CAUSE THE FLU. Note that influenza is not the same as the many viruses that cause "cold" symptoms, so the flu vaccine does not protect you against getting EVERY sore throat, runny nose, cough, sneeze and fever.

What's new for the 2016-2017 flu season?

• ONLY INJECTABLE VACCINES this year (NO nasal spray)
•  the nasal spray one with attenuated live virus will not be offered because last season's data has shown it to be significantly less effective than the injectable ones
• RECOMMENDATIONS for the 1.3% of children and 0.2% of adults with EGG ALLERGIES
• If your egg allergy means you get only hives after eating eggs, you may receive either type of vaccine available
• If you have a more severe egg allergy beyond hives (lip swelling, trouble breathing, passing out or vomiting), you may still receive either vaccine but it should be done in a medical setting with providers trained and able to manage severe allergic reactions.

BOTTOM LINE: Flu season is here once again. I got my flu vaccine last week- have you had yours?

Is it Ebola? Or "just" the FLU?

You have a fever, chills, sore throat muscle aches, headache, nausea and vomiting…is it Ebola Virus? Or perhaps that new respiratory virus (Enterovirus 68)? While technically speaking, it is possible for your illness to be caused by one of these dreaded agents, the odds are very much against it. However, you very well may have the FLU.

NOW is the time to get your flu vaccine- please! The flu vaccine is recommended for EVERYONE aged 6 months and older (who does not have a contraindication for the immunization.) We are already seeing cases of flu here in Austin, as others are across the United States. Instead of fretting about the two cases of Ebola virus here in Texas, recognize that last year in Texas alone, twenty children died from the flu. Twenty. Children. Gone. And, according to the CDC,  across the United States we have over 23,000 deaths and over 200,000 hospitalizations from influenza.

"But Dr. Grimes, the flu shot always gives me the flu!"
No, it does not. The flu shot does NOT contain live virus- it is not capable of causing influenza. In randomized, blinded studies the only difference between people who got a placebo (salt water) vs those who receive the actual flu vaccine is that the real vaccine makes your arm more sore for a few days.

There are no absolutes in medicine, but I will share that in my 20 years of practice, 99% of my patients who have actually HAD a real case of influenza make it a priority to get a flu shot each year so they don't have to experience the flu again. This is not a perfect vaccine, but annual flu vaccines greatly reduce your chance of getting the flu, and definitely decrease the severity of the infection if you end up with influenza.

BOTTOM LINE: The CDC recommends ANNUAL FLU VACCINE for everyone* over the age of 6 months. I got mine- did you get yours yet?

(*Flu vaccine is not indicated for the minority of people with "severe, life-threatening allergies to flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine. This might include gelatin, antibiotics, or other ingredients. ")

Resolutions for BETTER HEALTH in 2014

Happy New Year! Many people start each year with resolutions surrounding their health, so I'd like to  jump in and suggest that you put one EASY resolution at the very top of your list. This resolution should take up well less than an hour of your life, yet can make a tremendous difference in your health for 2014...so here it is: GET YOUR ANNUAL FLU VACCINE!

If you have already received yours, pat yourself on the back & remember to encourage your friends and family to get theirs. I will confess that certain members of my family kept putting off their shots for a variety of reasons (including one trip to two pharmacies who were temporarily out of the vaccine last month), but we are 100% vaccinated now. My major message is two-fold: one, it is NOT TOO LATE in the season to get a flu shot, and two, just glance at the CDC's map above to see how widespread the flu has become this year! Last year, influenza caused over 380,000 people to be hospitalized. This flu season, we are seeing a resurgence of the pH1N1 strain (originally known as swine flu, though the "p" is for "pandemic", not pig). This particular strain is the type of flu that was so severe in 2009, but happily, all of the current flu vaccines DO include this strain. Note that pH1N1 can produce very severe illness, especially in young and middle-aged adults.

More questions about the flu or the flu vaccine? Check out "I Got Mine" or the CDC's "Flu Basics".

BOTTOM LINE: Start 2014 off right & GET YOUR FLU VACCINE (if you haven't yet this season).

I Got Mine! Did You Get Yours?

As we zip into the holiday season, give yourself the GIFT of a flu vaccine NOW so you are not struck down with this illness at the busiest time of year! Flu shots have been available for a few weeks and seem to be available everywhere.  Clinics, schools, grocery stores, pharmacies and many employers are all offering flu shots these days. Add a flu shot to your grocery list- I'll bet the pharmacy there is stocked and you won't even have to add an extra stop on your weekly errands.

Who should get the flu vaccine?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) recommends annual flu vaccines for everyone over the age of six months.

What is different this year?
This year, we have quadrivalent vaccines (that include protection against four strains- 2 influenza type  A strains, and 2 influenza type B strains) in addition to the usual trivalent vaccines. Pick one or the other, you don't need both. If you have egg allergies, make sure to ask for the trivalent vaccine that is egg-free.

But I hate needles...no problem, just ask for the vaccine that is delivered via a nasal spray! The only caveat here is that this is a live vaccine, so there are some restrictions: you must be age 2-49 years, not pregnant, have no major problems with immunity (such as having AIDS or cancer), not take aspirin daily, and not have asthma.

Hate needles and have asthma? There is also a trivalent shot that has a tiny needle which is injected just below your skin, rather than into the muscle.


What is FLU? Influenza is not a simple cold, nor is it a twenty four hour stomach virus. The flu causes fever, chills, cough, runny/stuffy nose, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, and sometimes involves vomiting and diarrhea (more often in kids). Colds and allergies tend to bother you from the neck up- stuffy, sore throat, headache- but don't knock you down for the count, and coughs are generally less bothersome.

How is the FLU spread? This virus is spread from infected people when the cough, sneeze or talk, via tiny respiratory droplets, and the scary part is that you are contagious a full day BEFORE you develop symptoms (as well as for about a week after you feel sick.)

How can you prevent the FLU? Get vaccinated. Get vaccinated. Get vaccinated! 

Who should NOT get vaccinated? Those with bad reactions to vaccine in the past; infants younger than 6 months; and those people with a history of an uncommon disease called Guillain-Barre. If you are sick with a fever, wait till this illness is over before getting the vaccine.

BOTTOM LINE:  FLU SEASON has begun again- get vaccinated!