Barefooted Me

Well, we did!

Last March 7, Sanofi Pasteur Philippines, in collaboration with Nuffnang Philippines, conducted the 2nd wave of the Flu Awareness and Prevention Seminar at Max’s Tiendesitas, Pasig City. I was given the opportunity to attend this event along with fellow bloggers, parents and their children alike.

No less than Sanofi Pasteur’s medical director, Dr. Ruby Mendoza-Dizon talked about Influenza and its potential harmful implications especially during flu season.

We usually dismiss the common cold and cough as a normal occurrence during season transitions that can be remedied by popping a cold medicine, taking cough syrup, increased fluid intake and bed rest. But not everybody is aware that it could lead to Flu – a highly contagious respiratory disease that can be life-threatening to high-risk individuals of all ages.

I had been a victim of Flu on many occasions and have painfully survived it by taking doctor-prescribed medicines and ample bed rest, but it also resulted to a lot of absences from work. Nobody knows if I’d be as lucky to recover easily with the next strain of Flu virus that will hit me, so when Nuffnang invited me for the second time (that’s right, because I missed the first one), I made sure to grab the chance of getting bakunado and being protected from the Influenza virus for the rest of the year. The vaccine costs around P1,500-P2,000 per shot – the exact same amount of savings I had that day, multiplied by two!

I thought the Little Lady won’t qualify for vaccination because she had colds that time. Some vaccines have certain limitations, but Vaxigrip turns out to be generally safe for everyone except for those who have genuine allergy or hypersensitivity to eggs. It's a killed vaccine, which means contrary to a popular misconception, it will not cause anyone to get the Flu after being vaccinated. There is also no need to be isolated from other family members in the household, and one can resume normal activities after receiving it.

Here's a video of my Little Lady taking the Flu shot in painful anticipation - facial expression and all, only to be surprised when it turned out to be painless!


"Sorry, Mom. I did not believe you," was all she said after the shot. I told her earlier that "It will only feel like an ant bite" (I didn't believe this either, but what's a mom got to say?) Lucky for us, the one who administered the vaccine - Sanofi's Product Manager Ms. Bing Sonsona, did it painlessly perfect. No side effects, no sore arms!