So I got the shot ...

O.k., o.k., I got the shot. But I had a good chat with the doctor before he stuck me. So, apparently, newborn babies have virtually no immune system to speak of (not unlike old folks later in life) until a few months into life where, by the time they've had a chance to breast feed for a while, they acquire their mothers' defense against disease. So, really, if they got the flu, though they would likely acquire a quickly active immune system, it would be very hard on them and there's a greater likelihood that they would die of pnuemonia or some other complication often as a result of the ordinary flu. At six months of age they recommend giving the child the flu shot themselves. So now I've got the flu shot.

And for those who think I'm a wimp, I'll have you know I have many an antibody floating in my body due to shots. Tetanus, mumps, Hep A, Hep B, Menningococcal, Yellow Fever, Typhoid. And I have given blood ... once. I figured Jesus gave his blood for me, the least I could do was give some blood to someone else. I think my blood is 0+, but I'll have to confirm that with my mother.

The picture is, what I believe to be, a red blood cell, a macrophage and a t-cell. The latter two are a part of the immune system. But my doctor friends can correct me if I'm wrong.