Protection from flu

In Philip Martin’s Tuesday column, he says he doesn’t always get a flu shot (although he got one this year), but that he votes every chance he gets. Yet think about it: Getting a flu shot is a civic duty much like voting.

The greater the number of people who have the vaccine, the less the flu will spread among your friends, colleagues, and others who breathe the same air in your day-to-day life. Think about the public spaces and people you encounter each day as you shop, worship, attend classes, travel, and yes, stand in line at the polls.

More people getting immunized is especially important for those of us who are battling cancer or whose health is otherwise compromised— people with COPD, HIV, cardiac patients, and so on. Our resistance to disease is already lowered. We don’t need the flu! And while it might be an inconvenience to get a shot, those of us who are already fighting for our health thank you for making that effort.

Flu has already been reported in at least 28 counties in Arkansas as of Oct. 13. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 80,000 Americans died of influenza and its complications in the 2017-2018 season.

Past epidemics have shown that people of all ages in all states of health can be infected with influenza. The more of us who have the flu shot, the better the chance of avoiding illness and allowing influenza to become widespread. It’s not your personal mojo that is protecting you from the flu. It’s all of us who bothered to get the shot.

JUDY WILMOTH WHITE

Little Rock