In my area it seems pretty bad so far. A local high school was shut down because so many students were sick. At my production facility/office lots of folks were out (or at work!) with the flu... way more than any other year I can recall.

I read recently that regular aerobic exercise helps to ward off the flu. I passed on getting a flu shot and have been fine so far, so maybe it's true.

Have you or your family and co-workers had the flu? Did you get a flu shot?

Got it several weeks ago. Kids brought it home from school where over 200 were out with it. They were doing Swine flu testing, they've given that up these days..

Got my seasonal flu shot on October 2nd, my son got sick with the flu on October 4th and I got sick with the flu on October 7th. Don't know if it was the swine variety or not since neither of us were sick enough to require special medical treatment. I was down and off the bike for five days, only two commuting days since I had a the Columbus Day weekend as part of my recovery period.

Both of my daughters caught the H1N1 two weeks ago. 3-4 days later my wife caught it from the kids. I'm still flu free except for a sinus 2 days after my kids caught the flu but thats cleared up in a matter of days. No, I have not had a flu shot since '93 and interestingly enough I've only had the flu twice since then.

There has been some interesting research on whether flu vaccines actually make a difference. This article sums up some research on the subject: https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print.../brownlee-h1n1

This article aboot a Canadian study is particularly interesting, as their survey of 3 million+ people indicated that people who got the vaccine for swine flu were more likely to get it: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1303330/

Other research has shown that the flu kills obese people disproportionately: https://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...d=aM.7Dg3Z_msI

More reading for interest:
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/1...t-immunity/?em

Hmm that is really interesting. Another reason (besides safety) to ride at a comfortable pace and enjoy the scenery.

Generally I only get sick if I take a week off of commuting, but this year that didn't hold up. I got sick a few weeks back. The symptoms weren't bad, but I didn't want to spread anything so I stayed home.

My wife insists it was the flu, but I didn't think so because I didn't feel that bad. However, 2 weeks after recovering, I got a seasonal flu shot and never had any reaction whatsoever. Previously when I got a flu shot I will feel a little tired for a day or two and might get a slight fever, this time, absolutely nothing. So I probably did have the flu before.

I'm currently recovering after my kids brought it home. Wasn't so bad and I only had a fever one day.

I caught something at the tail end of a Hawai'i vacation in July/August. Don't know for sure that it was spamthrax, but I think it's pretty likely. I'm generally the guy that never gets sick, or only gets a light version of something that has everyone else in bed for a week. But this was the sickest I've ever been in my life. Even a month later I still had trouble riding to work without taking a break halfway there.

I suppose I could always blame it on suddenly going two weeks without significant exercise...

There have been a lot of cases in our area. My wife teaches 3rd grade and has had a few kids out every day with the flu. The local health district has given up on H1N1 testing, since most folks get through the sickness OK. Hospitals are begging people NOT to come in unless they're having severe symptoms.

So far my wife, kids (all high school and college age) and I haven't gotten it. The wife gets flu shots because of her occupation; the rest of us just roll the dice.

I'm sorry, but need I say 'duh'. People who get the vaccine are not a random sample of the population, they are (usually) high risk groups. Either people who are highly vulnerable to very negative side effects (youth and elderly) or those who are very likely to be in contact (health care workers, people who travel a lot). However, if the study said 'health care workers, frequent fliers, children often sick' well, who would care.

I had it about two weeks ago - brought it home from work. Stuffy nose and sore throat on Thursday, started feeling achy Friday, add a cough to that Saturday, add a fever to that for Sunday. Monday and Tuesday got progressively better.

In general I tend to believe physical activity helps fend off illness, but that's subjective not data based, and it certainly isn't bulletproof.

I haven't succumbed to the dreaded lurgy yet, but I had a monster flu about 6 months ago with a 104° fever. I relented and went to the ER for that one and got a dose of five-day antibiotic (azithromycin I believe,) and ended up with a mangled olfactory sense that seems permanent. Now I frequently smell a metallic/smoky odor, not sure if it was the antibiotic or the flu that caused it...

just got it yesterday from the kids. Little stuffy nose, headache and body aches. Starting to get a little cough as well. Hoping to recover in time for riding on the weekend.

I've always suspected this, and have noticed myself becoming more susceptible to getting sick the day after an overly intense martial arts workout, but never from a bike commute, even though I like to crank it up fairly high for almost an hour each way. I think the difference is what your body is accustomed to.

No, that's not what that article says, at all. The study "suggested that people vaccinated against seasonal flu are twice as likely to catch swine flu." (emphasis mine) Your summarization is woefully inaccurate and extremely misleading, as it suggests that the swine flu vaccination is worse than totally ineffective (i.e., that getting a vaccination for swine flu makes you more susceptible to swine flu rather than less). Instead, the question raised by the study is whether receiving a vaccination for a completely different disease makes one more susceptible to swine flu.

There's enough ignorant paranoia out there about the flu vaccine. Let's not add to it.

I've cycled 4-6 days/week on average for years, and I rarely ever catch colds or get the flu. It might just be that I have naturally high resistance, but I think that being in good shape helps. However, if you are really exercising hard -- to the point of overtraining or close to it -- I think it makes you more susceptible to illness. In fact, that is one of the signs that you are overtraining -- when you get sick a lot.

I only get sick once in a blue moon, and haven't gotten this critter yet. I felt the sniffles coming on last week and had Cheri make me some chicken soup...which I doctored up with garlic and cayenne...felt good as new the next morning. Cheri works at a hospital...so if I get it, it will probably be because she got it.

Our son-in-law just got over it...and the case of pneumonia that came with it.

My kid brought pig flu home. I didn't get it, but I eat a lot of bacon so that was expected

Yeah, there are too many factors. The actual exercise does seem to depress immune function, but at the same time, people who engage in regular exercise are probably somewhat more likely to take care of themselves in other ways (eating properly, good sleep habits, etc.). When it's all added up, whether it makes you more or less likely to get sick is a tossup.

I'm tellin ya, homemade chicken soup (or green chili stew) with lots of garlic and cayenne puts any vaccine or medicine to shame. I'm not a doctor, but I play a buffoon in BF.

re: The Canadian paper. That's not what the article says. It states that people vaccinated against SEASONAL FLU were more likely to get H1N1 flu. And the paper is not published, but is under peer review - an important step in research.

and nevermind... didn't see the reply above stating the same thing.
carry on.

No actually in Canada people who get the vaccine are a somewhat random (though self-selected) group of the population; everyone here is encourage to get seasonal flu shots, and it is offered free and available to anyone who wants it. I'm not one for unnecessary vaccines - in previous years not having a flu shot is a source of co-worker shunning who have been brainwashed into thinking flu vaccine = magic.

I've picked up a viral joint pain bug that several others in the neighborhood have. On my ride yesterday my legs were gassed after .5 miles on flat roads--- by the end of the day I couldn't lift my panniers above my waist.

Had to (ugh) have a friend give me a lift home with bike and no ride today--- Sucks as its 70 degrees here today- not many of those left....