Flu

[flaillomanz]

Just got it for the second time this year. >

What about you lot?

[Guest]

Nope, not once this year.

[flaillomanz]

Nope, not once this year.

Lucky bastard!

[iamwearingpants]

I\'ve never had it. Woo for health!

[Guest]

I\'ve never had it. Woo for health!

I actually have only had it once.

[dogon11]

I\'ve had regular flu twice and swine flu once.

[RedDwarfIV]

Of course, for those of you celebrating that you didn\'t get influenza...

...that\'s one less antigen that you\'re immune against.

[sss]

Flu,

never had it.

[Ydoow]

Of course, for those of you celebrating that you didn\'t get influenza...

...that\'s one less antigen that you\'re immune against.

Or we already have the antigen. Just because you don\'t have a severe reaction doesn\'t mean you weren\'t introduced and generated a response to it.

In fact having a reaction to it kinda suggests that your immune system can\'t handle it as well as most others.

[RedDwarfIV]

Or we already have the antigen. Just because you don\'t have a severe reaction doesn\'t mean you weren\'t introduced and generated a response to it.

In fact having a reaction to it kinda suggests that your immune system can\'t handle it as well as most others.

The immune system naturally has a slow reaction when it comes to antibody creation. It can take several days to develop.

However, you may be right if we are talking about macrophages [T-cells], the cells that actually attack pathogens.

[Ydoow]

The immune system naturally has a slow reaction when it comes to antibody creation. It can take several days to develop.

However, you may be right if we are talking about macrophages [T-cells], the cells that actually attack pathogens.

Yes but if you\'re getting infected several times a year, you\'r not handling it optimally.

The most common influenza strain changes per year because of the immunizations, but you shouldn\'t become infected more than once a year, really.

If you are, your innate immunity isn\'t blocking out enough random garbage. Innate immunity is very general and does a large sweep of anything that doesn\'t belong instantly; most cells have innate immunity. It\'s not producing macro phages, it\'s attacking or removing the junk itself so there\'s no delay.

With an average child/teen/adult, influenza shouldn\'t be a problem at all. Infection once in a while is normal, but multiple times a year would tell me your immunocompromised in some manner or another.

But the point here is, if you\'re consistently get infected each year, you should be building resistance, but aren\'t creating enough M-cells to last and trigger a quicker response next time.

[RedDwarfIV]

True.

But some people were saying they didn\'t get a reaction at all this year. Which would suggest they hadn\'t been infected by a new strain yet.

[Johno]

So far I have managed to avoid it, although the mild cold I had earlier this year was the very devil to shake (not terrible symptoms, just hung around forever).

[bandit4910]

Never had it. Had Swine flu 2 years ago, though. Had a horrible cold this year.

[Millst0ne MK II]

Get flu, cold, etc all the time. I was vaccinated really early for the swine flu, \'cause of asthma =P