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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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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Nothing's more stressful during the holiday season than getting sick amid all the hoopla.

So, as you're cruising the aisles of the grocery store stocking up on canned pumpkin, flour, sugar and other "necessities", consider grabbing those infamous immunity buildings, zinc and echinacea. Stocking up on vitamin C might also be a good idea, although it is a more controversial remedy for the common cold and one must be careful about dosing with a supplement. As you're picking through the produce, throw in a few bulbs of garlic, which is believed to have antibiotic properties. If nothing else, it sure spruces up sauteed veggies and pasta sauces and can be added to olive oil for a divine bread dip.

Then, after your home perusing the net for holiday gift ideas, visit here and order some fabulous teas that reportedly aid digestion, reduce cholesterol and boost antioxidants . I also like this place, which has some nice herbal and decaf options. Even if you're skeptical of the health benefits, you can't argue that a nice hot cup of liquid does wonders for relaxation. And that can't be bad for warding off illness. As a matter of fact, might be a good gift idea too.

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A federal advisory panel suggested this week that kids under five years of age (as young as two) can now be given nasal spray flu vaccines. Previously, the recommended age for this type of vaccine included kids only above age five.

FluMist, the most popular nasal flu vaccine, was found to be safe and effective in children as young as two years old, according to several recent studies.

As such, the FDA approved its use in kids aged two to five in September to ensure as many people as possible had access to vaccinations against the latest wave of the flu that is expected sometime at the start of next year, possibly into February.

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We're not quire there yet, but when flu season approaches in a few months, will you be out of luck trying to find a vaccination? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, there should be plenty of flu vaccines to go around this fall.

The estimate stands at 132 million doses ready to go, and the CDC suggests anyone not wanting to spend a week in bed to get a shot this fall, not just those with higher risks. It's been years and years since I had the flu, but no shot this year for me.

Why? Well, keeping immune systems in tip-top shape through wholesome nutrition and natural methods is the path I generally go down. It's not easy, but the side effect is excellent health, which I can handle. There's nothing wrong with vaccinations though, so if you're a habitual flu catcher, rest easy this fall.

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MedImmune's nasal-applied FluMist won't see any problems with U.S. availability, even after manufacturing issues at a United Kingdom plant showed up. The FDA appears to not be concerned here. Is it for good reason? Read on.

MedImmune deviated from standard manufacturing processed in making bulk lots of the FluMist nasal vaccine at its UK plant, which resulted in some bacteria and mold contamination. With the contamination happening at a very early stage of the manufacturing process, no huge warning signals were fired.

Also, since the finished lots of FluMist had zero contamination, the FDA saw no reason to suspend sales at this time.

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Do you vaccinate your kids against the flu? If so, this is news you may want to hear. CDC regulations have been changing; they used to recommend that children 6 months to 2 years be vaccinated against the flu every winter, but recently they expanded that age range to 5 years old. A recent study found, however, that the nasal spray FluMist is more effective than the traditional flu shot in preventing influenza in some children.

When the 8000+ preschoolers involved in the study were given the vaccine in either form, less of them came down with the flu. But the group that was given the nasal spray version of the vaccine came down with the illness over half as often. Not only that, they developed fewer of the dreaded secondary ear infections that usually accompany the flu, and fewer lower respiratory infections as well. The flu shot uses a killed flu virus, while FluMist uses live, weakened viruses. In addition, by applying the vaccine through the nose, the upper respiratory passages build a greater amount of anti-bodies to the flu, which is important since that's where the flu bug lives and multiplies. Of course, there are some conditions: babies under the age of 12 months and children who have a history of wheezing should not be given the vaccine, due to risk of developing wheezing problems, and the traditional injected flu vaccine is the safer version for them.

That sound you hear? It's the cheering of thousands of kids who will get one less poke of the needle this year.

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This year the flu season started a few weeks earlier than anticipated in Europe, but thankfully it hasn't been too severe so far. And as for in the U.S., the season actually started a little late by a few weeks (I'm impressed they can call it down to the week anyway) and so far the vaccine has been keeping up with demand. Also pleasantly surprising is the fact that we know the flu vaccine mutates regularly (which is partly why each year is so risky when it comes to whether or not the vaccine is going to be effective) but this year it looks like the majority of flu strains are ones that were expected, and that the vaccine is effective against.

In the U.S. the flu season starts in October and goes through March, so we're over halfway through. Somebody tell that to the guy in this photo...

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