Flu stuff

Our pediatrician retired recently and today we checked out her successor. He turned out to be a very interesting GP - he and his wife used to work on Spikeroge, a large Nothfrisian island, and they were the only doctors they had, so people came to them with everything, they even brought their pets. Lab results took a whole week to reach him. I guess we can safely assume that there's not a lot he hasn't seen and diagnosed.

He diagnosed flu for Viktoria. She feels okay, but she needs a lot of rest and fluids, so I'm allowing her to stay on the living room sofa, and the no-TV rule has been lifted (February is always our TV-free month (for the kids) with only very few exceptions).

Then, when I asked the doctor about the risks of the current flu strain, he gave us a long lecture on how the flu virus works. He referred to previous epidemics and the pandemic of 1918 - whereupon I could tell him that I've read letters and diary entries from 1918 on the internet that dealt with Spanish Flu. He was really impressed that I'd heard about it (I researched it for my original vampire story Family Tree). Anyway, we talked about pandemics. He's convinced that eventually there will be another one, like the 1965 epidemic or even the 1918 one, that such a pandemic is in fact overdue. And that stocks of the only working flu medicine will be sold out in two days, should the epidemic strike (Later, when we picked up our prescriptions, I got curious and asked at the chemist about it; the only working drug costs €34 for ten pills i.e. 5 days of treatment. Whoa!). But he recommended flu vaccinations.
There are a hundred different flu variants (a combination of two sets of different virus properties), and you can't vaccinate for all of them, but if you vaccinate regularly, you stand a good chance that eventually all variants will be covered. Meaning, if the big pandemic strikes, hubby stands a good chance to survive. He's had several shots over the past few years. I never vaccinated so I'll pop off. And our kids? Ditto. No antibodies.
Maybe it's because I watched House because I suddenly remembered his snarky comment regarding vaccinations and the small children's coffins. In any case I was freaked enought to get Tina and myself vaccinated at once. Luckily, our National Health System covers the entire cost. *phew* I am not easily freaked and I don't trust doctors a lot, but what the doc said made sense. I just hope we never have to live through an epidemic like the 1918 Spanish Flu!

Firefly fic rec

Thanks to lenajill I came across this sparkling gem: Like Describing the Alphabet by Mosca - Firefly - Jayne/Mal, Kaylee/Inara - a longish story in which Mal has to lower some of his shields, and in which Jayne learns to kiss on the mouth. NC-17. I loved this for the voices and the slow but plausible build up. The characterisation is lovely, the mood wistful. While there's plenty of smut, the focus is on the psychology. Great stuff!