After years of ridicule and shaming, men this week came closer to the day when they will be able to shout that "man flu" is no joke and women take their anguish seriously. Scientists have announced that they have found evidence that the female sex hormone progesterone protects women from the worst effects of influenza by reducing inflammation.The cards are further stacked against men in that progesterone has been found to help damaged lung cells heal more quickly.Millions of women across the globe get an extra dose of the hormone when they use progesterone-based contraception and this, the study found, also helps to fight flu.Researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in the US, made the discovery while testing female mice.Doctor Michael Mol said that the other female sex hormone, oestrogen, had been shown to act against flu viruses."When oestrogen was given to men it had no effect on the flu - in other words, oestrogen has female-specific antiviral qualities."Poor us. but a small price to pay for not having to go through childbirth."Man flu has been explained as a psychological affliction of men. They have been accused of "wimping out" or just trying to get sympathy.The good news for men in South Africa is that they are at the tail end of the flu season, says Professor Lucille Blumberg of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases...