Editor's Note: This column appears in the Nevada Appeal health pages on Wednesdays throughout the flu season. Readers interested in knowing more about this topic are urged to visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or www.flu.gov.
Q: So I skip the shot and catch H1N1. Is it really that big a deal?
A: Here's what we know: Illness from H1N1 ranges from mild to severe. Chances are you would recover without needing medical treatment. Yet the truth is that influenza can be a miserable, severe, incapacitating illness, and hospitalizations and death are a reality. The symptoms are not fun.
Dr. Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, "Even the average case of the flu is no picnic." If you're in a high risk category, your chances of getting serious complications from the flu are greater. Even with milder symptoms, you will miss several days of school or work by having to remain home away from others. If you get the flu, the CDC advises you to stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (except to get medical care). Remember that there are two issues with having the flu: your own personal suffering and putting others at risk.