Don't listen to ignorant voices that feed off faked studies and poorly designed experimental procedures that give too much credence to unreliable anecdotal "evidence."

Get your flu shot this year.

If you don't care about your own discomfort, think about those around you.

Influenza - even the ordinary, run-of-themill, low-grade kind that runs through most years - is not an insignificant annoyance for some people.

"Some people think that influenza is a mild illness, but it can be a very serious illness in some people," said Dr. Susan Bowles of Immunize Canada. "While most people recover within a week or two, people over 65 years of age and children or adults with underlying chronic conditions can have more serious complications, like pneumonia."

In fact, the flu is not always discerning of its victims. One of the most serious "plagues" in modern times, the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, claimed millions of victims around the world. Ironically, an inordinate number of the victims of that pandemic were otherwise healthy young adults.

While it doesn't always attack in devastating proportions, influenza most certainly is always devastating for the families who lose loved ones to it. Indeed, every year, flu-related complications claim at least a few lives.

The best protection against catching - and spreading - the influenza virus is not to allow it to get a foothold in the first place.

The precautions are simple: get proper rest, wash your hands frequently, and get your flu shot.

Immunize Canada notes that studies repeatedly demonstrate that influenza immunization reduces the number of hospitalizations and visits to health care providers, and is effective in preventing influenza-associated deaths.

Immunization is especially important for those with age-or infirmity-related flu risks - and for those who come into contact with those at risk.

Ignorance is not an excuse for spreading a potentially fatal disease.