I know it got me. Did it get you? Despite getting the flu vaccine last fall, I was down for the count with one of the nastiest bouts of flu I've ever had. According to US health officials, I wasn't alone. This flu season has been the worst in four years.

According to the CDC, the flu vaccine was only 44% effective against the strains of the flu viruses that were out this year. While it gave 58% protection over the most predominant strain, it was completely ineffective against other types of the flu virus.

In previous years, the flu vaccine has had up to a 70% effectiveness. The vaccine is developed each year based on data about the currently circulating strains of the influenza virus. According to the CDC, the vaccine has been a good match to the circulating viruses in 16 of the past 20 years.

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In the past, the CDC recommended the flu shot only for children under the age of five and for kids with certain chronic conditions. But as of 2009, the CDC is hoping that pediatricians will make the annual flu shot part of the yearly standard of care for all children under the age of 18.

Though the recommendations are being made to keep children healthy, in school, and to reduce the number of doctor and hospital visits, experts anticipate a secondary benefit. If schoolchildren can avoid the flu, then their parents and grandparents are likely to be healthier as well. The shots won't be mandated, just heavily encouraged. It's not clear yet, however, that health officials will be ready by 2009 to vaccinate that many children.

My older daughter was born during flu season, and her pediatrician recommended that any adults that cared for her on a regular basis get their flu shots to protect her. This recommendation seems to be the flip side of that. By vaccinating children, the CDC hopes to protect the elderly and to slow the stop of the flu in general.

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Nasty cough, three days of high temperatures, lethargy, refusing to eat -- I swore that the virus causing my two-year-old to suffer last week was the flu. But I had gotten her a flu shot back in October. What gives?

The CDC recently announced that there's a variation of the flu circulating this season that isn't covered by this year's flu vaccine. When vaccines are created, they include the top three most likely viruses to be spread. This year, a fourth bug is circulating that wasn't included in the vaccine. Is that bug the cause of our current woes? I have no idea, and since she's recovering nicely, whatever it was, I'm just glad that it's on its way out.

Does this mean that you shouldn't get a flu shot? Not at all. In fact, if you haven't gotten yours this year, it's not too late. The vaccine will still fight the three targeted viruses, and may even help you fight off this other virus and lower your risk of complications if you do contract it. Read more about this bug and the 11 states that are especially involved here.

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A while back, there was a chance to get free flu shots at the clinic near my house, but it slipped my mind and I completly forgot to get mine. Now I'm on high flu alert -- any sign of a scratchy throat or sniffly nose and I'm convinced I'm coming down with it. In retrospect, it would have been worth it to write it down on my calendar, if only for the peace of mind. I should see about getting it now, though it might be too late.

The flu shot has been getting lots of publicity lately, especially with celebs like Jennifer Garner and Dean Cain endorsing it. Some think it's vital, while some can't be bothered. Which group are you in?

A report out this week that focused on flu preparation nationwide has found that seven states still have not responded to a federal program meant to prepare each state for a national flu pandemic.

Thirteen U.S. states were deemed as ill-prepared for a possible flu pandemic due to not having adequate vaccine distribution plans in place related to the stockpile of vaccines that would be available from the U.S. federal government.

The best-prepared states that participated in all ten steps of the national flu vaccine preparedness program were Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The lowest scores went to Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

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If you're sick and not feeling well, the best thing to do is stay at home and get rest (among many other things like get plenty of fluids). But, in the hustle and bustle of today's business world, taking even a single day off can lead to feelings of guilt and regret. Why this is I don't know.

But more bad things can be lurking behind that attitude. As in, what if you go to work and give everybody the flu or cold that you have? As an employer, this would not be a positive situation. In fact, staying home when sick is mandatory in some companies.

The loss of productivity from one person is enough, but if that person is the cause of even more lost productivity due to making more people sick, what would be the outcome? It would would way more than paying a single employee sick leave for a week, that is for sure.

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Award-winning actress and tabloid target Jennifer Garner is supporting the new cause -- the flu shot. She's recently joined the American Lung Association's Faces of Influenza education campaign as the national spokeswoman, and she's speaking out on the importance of getting your flu shot. Lois and Clark actor Dean Cain is also promoting the cause.

Garner, 35, says "One in three children get influenza, and more than 100 children die every year from this disease -- these are facts that no mother or parent wants to hear."

Have you had your flu shot? If you have frequent contact with children or senior citizens, it's a must. And it's not too late to get it, though sooner is better.

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That time of year is creeping around again...cold and flu season! The key to staying as healthy as possible is in what you do now to prepare and prevent illness. Making healthy choices is about living a healthy lifestyle everyday, and although I don't agree personally with absolutely everything on this list, here's one take on 10 things you can do to never get sick again:

• See a chiropractor
• Laugh hard
• Mix up your workout routine
• Get enough sleep
• See an acupuncturist
• Meditate
• Do cardio at least 4 days a week
• Stretch
• Eat organic
• Be cautious of medications

Anything you would add? I think drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet (deep-fried onion rings won't do a thing for you even if they are organic!) are important too.

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Flu season is just around the corner and the CDC is ramping up its annual campaign to encourage Americans to get their annual flu shot. But what if you're pregnant? Are you included on that list? Yes.

In fact, pregnant women can be especially vulnerable to the flu. With your immune system weakened, you're at a higher risk of catching the virus. And as your body deals with the changes from pregnancy, it puts more stress on your body which can make handling the flu that much harder for you and your baby. Standard advice used to be that only women who would be in their third trimester during flu season should get the shot, but health experts are now saying that all pregnant women should be vaccinated.

People often have strong opinions about vaccinations -- pro and con -- so you may still have some questions about the shot. At your next check-up, bring it up to your doctor. If you decide to go ahead with it, you may be able to get your shot right there.

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I don't know you, but the hypothetical bird flu pandemic is one news story that gives me the shivers. Oh, I know that the virus has yet to mutate and may, in fact, never become easily transmissable among humans. I'd still love to see the problem solved sooner than later, and before it becomes a worldwide problem.

It seems British and Belgian researchers may have accomplished just that with a new vaccine that promises to protect humans from all influenza A viruses. The long-lasting immunity that this vaccine would provide would mean no more yearly flu shots and protection from the H5N1bird flu virus. Not only that, it appears that large batches can be made all at once. Conventional flu vaccines are grown in hen's eggs, a slow process that yields a limited number of doses.

The new vaccine -- and another that is being developed by a fellow biotechnology firm -- focuses on something called an M2 protein. This protein exists in all types of influenza A and has remained unchanged for over a century. In contrast, the proteins that traditional vaccines are based on are constantly mutating. The vaccine should be ready for market in about five years.

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My first thought, which I am sure comes from some commercial I've endured each winter season since I was six, was "is it a cold or is it the flu?" Nearly a month ago I'd had the flu shot against my better judgment but to the appreciation of my OBGYNs and walked away seemingly unscathed, so I hoped it wasn't the flu. After all, I'd never had the flu before the shot, and wasn't the point of getting the shot to avoid getting it now that I was pregnant?

My achiness didn't feel like the flu. My throat was scratchy at first, and I felt dehydrated. No fever, though, and no nausea. No chills or sudden changes in temperature either, thankfully. My head was killing me though, and I couldn't stop sneezing. Countless tissues later and the sneezing stopped, but the dripping began. My nose was like a leaky faucet. Thankfully I stayed home to avoid embarrassing myself in front of my colleagues, my drippy, chapped nose as red as Rudolph's.

And my back ached. Oh, how it ached. At first I thought it was a pregnancy symptom. Lower back pain can result from being pregnant as more weight is added to the abdominal area and in turn strains the back. Then I realized, as my sinuses burned and the area in the center of my eyebrows throbbed that it was just a plain old simple common cold.

Normally I would just take a long nap, drink as many clear fluids as possible and stay home time permitting in order to get over the cold, but with a pregnancy in the picture, things have become more complicated. For one, I'm at the point in my pregnancy, the end of the second trimester (T2) wherein I have more than enough energy and don't feel tired. On top of that, finding a decent position in my growing state has proved challenging, especially when I can't prop myself against my husband who had to go to work even if I didn't.

Then there's the matter of cold medicine. Before I was pregnant I wasn't interested in taking anything for any reason, hence my refusal to take the flu shot all those years. Normally I would suffer through a few days of symptoms and emerge tired but victorious over my illness. Unless I felt truly ill enough to make the multi-borough pilgrimage to my doctor's doorstep (which is about as rare as sighting old Rudolph) at which time he'd recommend antibiotics (even rare given his understanding of my apprehension) I would just wait it out.

That's possibility is no longer such a strong one these days. I am already out of breath from the pregnancy, so not being able to breathe through my nose is highly uncomfortable. Headaches that would normally subside with a hot shower and a nap now linger throughout the day. And the aching--oh, the aching. It's really not that bad, but it makes the gray skies and murky December weather all the less bearable. Not to mention how I am beating myself up for allowing myself to catch a cold. Figures, though, living in a city of 8 million people who all seem to be breathing over my on my daily subway rides.

The question now is do I take something or wait it out? Goodness knows I am terrified to ingest any medicine that might prove harmful to my little one, to the point of which even if advised by my OBGYNs I would probably decline due to suspicion--which, by the way, no one seems to tell you is a possible side effect of pregnancy. Many gals I know immediately became suspicious of anything they hadn't tried before in the way of food and declined to even consider anything that might not be 100% suitable for their unborn children. But, that's another article.

A now mythological list of accepted medications approved by my OBGYNs has yet to make its way to my chapped hands, but several options can be found here.

As for me, I'm going to have to think long and hard about whether or not to take something. After all, no one is going to give me a medal for declining help for something as simple as a cold. On the other hand, I've been given to the perspective that by declining drugs for my cold now, I am saving up for an epidural later!

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Your head aches, your cough worsens quickly, and you have a fever -- is it cold, or do you have the flu? Sometimes it's hard to tell. A bad cold can make you feel pretty lousy and produce a cough that lingers for weeks, making you wonder if you've caught a flu bug after all.

Though both are caused by viruses, it's important to know the difference. Influenza can turn serious and create complications in the very young, the elderly, and those with chronic health problems. Anti-viral drugs, when used at the very beginning of the illness, can shorten the severity and duration of the flu. When you're sure it's a cold, you know you need lots of rest, fluids, and that all you can do is relieve symptoms through natural or over the counter medications.

So how to tell? WebMD has a handy chart to help you decide if your symptoms warrant a call to your doctor or a simply an extended visit with your couch. For instance, a high fever is characteristic of the flu, but is rare with a cold. Colds are famous for causing stuffy noses, but with the flu you'll only occasionally have nasal congestion.

Interested in getting a flu shot? Find out more about how flu vaccines are made and whether or not they cause the flu (they don't) by watching this video.

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With the fall season underway -- and the winter 2006 season nearby -- it may be time to start thinking about flu shots. While many natural health proponents agree that challenging one's immune system throughout the year and eating extremely well is the key t flu prevention, there are millions of citizens whose only hope of protection is to have an annual flu shot.

So, who should get them, then? Well, those with risk factors like the ones below from MedicineNet are the most likely suspects.

If you're:
- Between the ages of 6 months and up to 5 years
- Age 50 and older
- Pregnant
- Suffering from a chronic disease
- Living in a nursing home or similar facility
- A doctor, nurse, teacher or someone else who works closely with people who are at higher risk of contracting flu

After all, it's hard to "stay fit" when the flu has attacked your body. Make this year one of non-flu -- yes?

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