Dealing with the flu

Accidentally method writing.

We had the best of intentions: a post about the flu, which is currently raging across the country, to help you distinguish which treatments are evidence-based, and which ones to skip, and how to decide who needs them at all.

And then Dr. Kristina took the whole thing very method, and got the flu.

And Dr. Vicky is covering extra night calls for coworkers who also have the flu.

Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash

So this week’s Couch Nap will instead be a wish for recovery for all.

Next week, we will be back with a proper post - help us choose what would be most helpful to you by clicking the poll below.

Please do us a favor: click one of these options!

Some links to tide you over:

• We will cross-post this week’s Babies, Explained once it’s up (this week: what to do when your baby is hospitalized)

• You can read our advice on organizing medical information here.

• This year’s flu is especially gnarly (Caitlin Rivers/Force of Infection) and is hitting New York extra hard (Marissa Donnelly/Your Local New York Epidemiologist)

• There have been pediatric influenza fatalities (image cuts off, click here)

  

• The dismantling of federal public health infrastructure is not helping matters, as you can see below:

  

• For a nice explainer on flu vaccine naming convention, check out the second half of this post (Dr. Rubin)

• Avian flu is also spreading, and killing birds and cats (see below, remainder here), though a vaccine has been conditionally approved (Dr. Rubin).

  

Thank you for being here!

We hope you are healthy and hanging in there. Wash your hands and wear a mask and avoid Dr. Kristina (and obviously also Dr. Vicky, it’s just a matter of time).

If you’ve got the energy, consider taking some steps to protect your data and call your reps to save our ailing democracy (Emily In Your Phone).

Also, you must look at these dogs before and after a park visit.

See you next week!