Thirty-one people died from flu complications in Allegheny County during the 2017-2018 flu season.
Reports that flu cases are already showing up in parts of the United States should remind everyone that now is the time to get a flu vaccine.
Getting a flu shot — which is relatively painless, convenient and often free with many health insurance plans — should be an annual event. Yet only about 40 percent of adults and 60 percent of children get the vaccine each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC also estimates that the flu is costly. Flu costs the United States about $7 billion a year in lost productivity and sick days, the agency has calculated.
Even if the flu shot were a more expensive hassle than it is, it would be worthwhile. The flu can be nasty business — coughing, fever, fatigue and body aches — even in the best case scenario.
In the worst cases, of course, flu can be deadly. Thirty-one people died from flu complications in Allegheny County during the 2017-2018 flu season.
Complicating last year’s flu season was the fact that the 2017-2018 vaccine turned out to be less effective than usual because it did not target the strain of virus that became dominant. Experts expect this year’s vaccine, targeted at three or four strains expected to be common, to be have an effectiveness rate of about 24 percent.
Most people who die from the flu or flu complications are elderly or infants, or have health conditions that make them more weaker than generally healthy people.
That makes it all the more important for healthy people to make a habit of getting annual flu shots. The “herd immunity” created by most people getting vaccinated can help protect the most vulnerable people for whom flu could be deadly.
So, even if you don’t mind risking catching the flu yourself, think of your family, neighbors and co-workers.