Get Paid to Get the Flu- On Purpose

I can't even imagine doing this... but if you are really hard up for money, and you don't mind getting sick...even if it could be life-threatening, this could be the job for you.

The National Institute of Health is running a study that will actually pay people over 3 grand to give themselves the flu on purpose.  Can you believe that??  Crazy.  And I kind of feel like $3,000+ isn't really enough for this.  Give me $10K and maybe I'll consider it.

Here is how it works...

A clinical trial in which healthy adults will be deliberately infected with influenza virus under carefully controlled conditions is recruiting volunteers at four Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs) supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). One study aim is to assess how levels of pre-existing influenza antibodies impact the timing, magnitude and duration of a volunteer’s flu symptoms following exposure to influenza virus. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The first doses of challenge virus were administered to five volunteers earlier this week. Up to 80 people aged 18 to 50 years will be enrolled in the trial. The study builds on recent work by scientists in the NIAID Laboratory of Infectious Diseases to develop a model of influenza disease with controlled human infection studies.

Oh, and you will need to be in a few certain areas.  So, if you are chosen, you will need to hang out in either Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinnati or Durham, North Carolina.

Any takers?