Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

A postcard in the mail has informed me that the season's flu vaccines are in.

Appointments have been made, and due to circumstances beyond my control, I will be the only parent present at the ceremonial bloodletting. I hope the nurses are wearing body armor this year. I don't know how my kids got to be such weenies, but I've come to realize that when the zombies rise, they're going to be all but useless. In attempt to ward off the inevitable wailing and rending of garments, I've promised them breakfast at McDonald's and $5 a piece to spend over the weekend, but I fear that will be totally inadequate.

Maybe for the rest of the week I should secret myself in various locations and jump out ninja-style and poke them with a pin, as to desensitize them. It probably wouldn't work, but it might be amusing.

As for everyone else, if you are in a target group, get the innoculation. As per the CDC, the target group includes:

•Pregnant women
•Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (e.g. parents, siblings, and child care providers)
•Health care and emergency medical services personnel
•Persons from 6 months to 24 years of age
•People aged 25 to 64 years with medical conditions associated with a higher risk of flu complications (e.g. asthma, diabetes)
 
Even if you're not in a target group, get the shot. I repeat: get innoculated. I could go into all the microbiology hoo-haw (hey, I even have a degree!), but trust me, getting a flu shot is important. Creating a pool of resistance keeps everybody healthier.  There are also people who can't, for legitimate medical reasons, have the flu shot. They are often vulnerable, and depend on an immune population. Also, the life you save may not just be your own, but the life of some poor kid whose parents are too boneheaded to get the innoculation.