by Steve Kallenberg

Created on: October 01, 2008

It is officially fall now. School is well underway, the leaves change color and then flutter to the ground, and the temperature is generally beginning to spiral downward. The problem with this beautiful season and the one that follows is that with the cooling temperatures comes an increase in sicknesses, mostly the cold and the flu.

The flu is caused by the influenza virus. This virus seems to thrive in cold temperatures. Cases of the flu typically begin to develop in early October and the virus seems to gain momentum throughout the next months and reach its peak in the dead of winter, usually in January. Notice that this is usually when most of the students have to miss school because of illness.

The way this virus works is pretty straightforward. It enters a person's body through the air passages, either through the nose or mouth. It attaches itself to respiratory cells in these air passages and makes copies of itself. It also attacks the cell that it leeches onto. Once the cell dies, it releases the copies of the virus and the virus makes its way to the bloodstream (health.howstuffworks.com). By this time, the virus has caused a great deal of swelling and inflammation in the air passages.

Once the virus hits the bloodstream, the immune system (which works to protect the body from harmful agents like viruses and some bacteria) musters enough strength to fight back. This is also when the symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, fatigue, and feeling lousy in general begin to develop. It can take up to weeks for the body to get back to normal.

The flu vaccine is basically a really, really small dose of the influenza virus, usually a virus that has already been killed, that doctors inject into a person's system. This way, the virus cannot replicate or do anything that an active virus can, yet the body learns to recognize the virus and creates antibodies to fight it. Think of it this way: An outsider sends your body a fake signal that the enemy (the virus) is coming to your shores. Your body prepares for war before the real enemy arrives and then when the active virus, the dangerous enemy, finally comes, your body is already in position to ambush and conquer it before it can gain strength and spread throughout the camp.

So all in all, it is an extremely good idea to get a flu vaccine early on. It may be slightly unpleasant to get the flu shot, but in the long run, it will be worth it because your body needs time to prepare enough defenses so that you can enjoy all of the wonderful aspects of these two gorgeous seasons without the hassle of the influenza virus.

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