Should I get my first ever flu shot this fall? I’m 50 and basically healthy so I have never gotten one.
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My personal opinion - yes. If you’re healthy and don’t normally get ill from the flu, the vaccine probably won’t make a difference to your health, but it does help prevent spread of influenza within communities.
Also my personal opinion - anything we can do to prevent people needing to use the healthcare system while COVID is still widespread is a good thing. So even the tiny chance I might get the flu and need a doctor visit isn’t worth it to me this year.
I get the flu vaccine because I work with immune compromised kids regularly (and it’s mandatory for all staff in most healthcare facilities here anyway).
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Yep! 
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Flu shots are rad!
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Agreed!
Have you seen our awesome flu shot thread? It’s awesome and also has seen some people get their very first flu shots!
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The cost/ benefit analysis is this:
It can potentially spare you from a miserable illness, which would be made worse because COVID is a thing. Flu in the time of global pandemic sounds excessively shitty.
The shot will make your arm hurt for a bit but that’s the worst it gets for the vast, vast majority of people.
Why wouldn’t you want it?
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Yes get it!
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Get it, report it to the flu shot thread, and you get a sweet forum badge! What more incentive could you need?
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Another vote for flu shots. I’m needlephobic but I’m still getting mine!
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Get it! If you have a reaction where you feel a bit sleepy the next day, you get to rest AND you know it’s working. But as a healthy person who can get a flu shot, please do. You avoid the flu and avoid spreading the flu. It’s like an inside mask
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Embarrassing question but whatever…any natural but actually effective ways to get rid of a small flea infestation before resorting to pesticides?
We don’t have pets but there are definitely fleas in the area so one of us probably picked up a couple during a walk outside and brought them in…we think they’re only in the couch and we’re only getting a bite every couple days but it’s been going on long enough that I’m sure it’s from inside our house and not outside. We’ve been vacuuming the cushions and the rug near the couch every day for almost a week and are still getting some bites so that’s not enough to take care of it and it’s driving me crazy! The cushion covers don’t come off so I can’t just strip everything down and wash them. I also don’t want to spray the cushions with pesticides if I can help it because again, we can’t wash them and I don’t want to be sitting on the residue after it dries. Help??
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Yep. I’m one of the very rare people that does get mild illness for several days afterwards, and I get it every year. I’ve had flu, and 10 or 15 years of mild reaction beats one bout of regular flu. Also, I almost lost my husband to H1N1. If any year is going to be the year we have another terrible strain that kills lots of people, it’s probably this year, because why not?
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I assumed this year would be the reason to start, I just… never have before. Will get one!
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I got my flu shot sometime in fall 2019. In January of 2020 I spent five days taking care of a friend’s three year old because he had the flu (influenza A confirmed by a test at the doctor) and wasn’t allowed at daycare. Toward the end of that week I started feeling a little sniffly like I was coming down with the flu, but my body fought it off. I’m pretty sure the reason I didn’t get sick is that I had the vaccine.
I haven’t always been good about getting the flu vaccine but definitely will from now on.
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Diatomaceous earth is my normal go-to for safe insect control but it’d probably be a pain in the ass to use on a couch without staining.
A lot of insecticides are quite safe for humans once dry. Think of how permethrin is used to treat clothing for mosquito repellent.
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Seconding DE.
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OK since we’re asking pest questions - does DE also work for roaches? Stubborn fuckers, blech.
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I don’t know, since we don’t have many of them and not in houses here. But since it’s a dust effecting their ability to respire (clogs pores where air comes in) I would think yes? But in general, cockroaches are harder to kill than other bugs I believe.
It’s effective on anything with an exoskeleton and a quick google search confirms it works
So, like… if you (the generic “you”) have roaches they could be one of two types. If they are native roaches that live in your area (like, eg. wood cockroach (Parcoblatta sp.)), sometimes they wander into houses accidentally. They don’t invade or infest homes, and really just throw them back outside where they prefer to be anyway (there’s not really food for them indoors).
But if they are something like German cockroaches (Blatella germanica), which are non-native (though cosmopolitan everywhere) and are the infestation type that are closely associated with human habitation (and in fact don’t really occur anywhere else except in conjunction with human habitation)… they should always be dealt with asap and probably with stronger means than DE, because they are real trouble.
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