Feel horrible? It’s flu season

Health officials see bad bout ahead

It’s not just sleigh bells ringing we hear this time of year, it’s snuffle, moan and cough. And here’s the bad news: Even if you got your flu jab, your chances of avoiding the misery-inducing bug aren’t so good this year; the dominant strain of influenza that is here is less vulnerable to vaccines.

Last year’s flu-vaccine effectiveness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, was just 42 percent. Sound low? This year’s batch, according to preliminary estimates, might be only 10 percent effective.

But that’s based on totally preventing the flu: While the vaccine might not completely prevent a case of the flu, those who still get sick are likely to get a milder case and are less likely to have complications, like pneumonia, that can require hospitalization — or cause death. And getting the flu shot can keep the virus from spreading to others, which is particularly important to protect babies, the elderly and those whose immune systems are compromised. The CDC says widespread vaccination provides a “cocoon of protection around vulnerable loved ones.”

CDC recommends a flu shot for everyone 6 months and older, and says it is especially important for pregnant women and those with chronic diseases that put them at a higher risk of complications, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, asthma and pulmonary disease.

So don’t skip that flu shot. In fact, now is a great time to get one at the local pharmacy, physician or public health clinic. The shots take about two weeks to fully mobilize antibodies, meaning your body’s immunological SWAT team will be ready to go in time for family gatherings at Christmas and more time indoors as the weather worsens.

So far, according to the CDC, there have been about 7,000 cases of flu reported in the U.S. since the fall, which is twice as many as last year for the period ending on Nov. 25. And locally, health officials say they’re seeing the first front of the flu moving in. Columbus Public Health had recorded 29 cases before Nov. 25 — but that figure jumped 41 percent in the first week of December.

“The rapidity with how symptoms start… Flu hits you like a Mack truck,” said Dr. Bruce Jones, emergency medical director for OhioHealth Doctors Hospital. “It hits you fast, and hits you hard. And that’s a week of your life that you feel horrible and a week that’s completely shot.”

The flu generally peaks between December and February, but it can mow you down at any time.

Meanwhile, there’s good news on the research front: Researchers are working on a “universal” flu vaccine that would train the immune system to recognize parts of the flu virus common to all strains. It’s possible this would eliminate the need for yearly shots.

But the flu virus, unlike, say, a stable measles virus, is tricky and keeps mutating. This “shape shifting” makes it unrecognizable to the body’s immune system. That makes coming up with an effective annual vaccine challenging. But scientists are making encouraging advances.

Meanwhile, get that flu shot.