Flu increases risk of strokes

GETTING a flu shot could also protect you from a crippling stroke! Columbia University scientists who reviewed the health records of more than 30,000 people from 2012 to 2014 were stunned to find a 40 percent increase in the chances of having a stroke within 15 days of being hospitalized with flulike symptoms. The higher risk of stroke for the patients continued for up to a year. “I think people should consider taking a flu shot,” says Michigan State University professor Philip Gorelick, who reviewed the findings.