WEAR A CONDOM AND GET YOUR FLU SHOT

I'm a supporter of preventative rather than curative treatment. Today I'm talking about viruses and the unnecessary spreading. I don't know about you, but when I touch someone , whether it be shaking hands, or gettin down and dirty, I personally don't want to be giving anythin away, or receiving anything. ya know!?
While neither condoms or the flu shot are going to prevent you from everything, (Phthirius pubis or Rhino virus anyone?), they at least offer some protection. Since I've been actively recruiting people in the hospital to get their flu shots this past week, I've heard almost every uneducated excuse in the book as to why people aren't getting theirs.
A little background...every 6 months the WHO starts on a mission to determine which influenza virus will be more likely to affect each hemisphere of the world. This can be extremely difficult as the virus is constantly changing (which is why you need to get a flu shot every year). This year the vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere contains 3 strains of dead protein particles. Because it is not a live vaccine there is no chance of getting the flu from the actual vaccine. The way it works is that your body recognized the dead protein particles as foreign and builds antibodies against them. It takes about two weeks after your vaccine before you've built up your immunity and so, if you get sick a couple days after the vaccine, it is because you managed to pick something up before your vaccine has taken effect. And lets just be clear that nausea/vomiting/diarrhea are not what the vaccine protects you against. It protects you against upper respiratory tract infections....and a runny nose and sore throat is not necessarily the flu, it could be the common cold. So, people that say they get the flu even with the flu shot... maybe not. That being said however, when the WHO picks the strain, they are making an educated guess, and even if they mismatch 2 of the strains in the vaccine, you are still protected against 30% of the influenza viruses out there. Which is better than nothing.
It's free and convenient in Ontario, so I see no reason not to protect yourself, your family and your loved ones this flu season.
That's just my opinion on the matter, feel free to make your own informed decisions about whether to get vaccinated or not. But please do remember to wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.