Hopefully you don’t know from personal experience that this year’s flu season has dished up some particularly nasty flu strains, some that weren’t included in this year’s flu shots. Brad and I have been lucky and missed it, but it seems that almost every visitor we have had from out of town in the last three months has reported being ghastly ill when they returned home. 

Who knows where they got the bug. In a casino? In a restaurant?Maybe they didn’t get enough sleep and their resistance was low. Maybe -- even very likely -- they caught it on the flight to here or back home. That re-circulated air can be a killer germ spreader!  

In any case, I recommend that everyone get a flu shot before they come to Vegas. No, it’s not too late. The flu season lasts right through March and the federal Centers for Disease Control have named Nevada part of a regional flu outbreak. I urge people to use good sense, even though Vegas temptations are not always healthy. Eat regularly and nutritiously. Get plenty of sleep. Take frequent breaks to get out of smokey casinos. Go easy on the free alcohol. 

However, if you do get sick while you are in Vegas, I would like to give you some resources that might make your visit more pleasant. There are now three Walgreens drugstores on the Strip, one just north of the Stratosphere, one across from the ghost of the Stardust, and one north of the MGM Grand.  

CVS has two stores, one near Circus Circus and the other just north of New York-New York. This last one might be particularly valuable to remember because it has a MinuteClinic, where you can see Board-certified practitioners, like physician assistants (PA's). They don’t require appointments and can diagnose and treat many non-emergency medical problems, including writing prescriptions. These mini-clinics are being added in many Walgreens and CVS pharmacies all over town. Check the Yellow Pages or online for their locations and hours.

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