Swine flu in Alaska

[RodISHI]

My daughter just sent me an email to let me know to go to the store and get cold meds and Advil if I am out. A very good friend of her's lives in Alaska told her the children have been in school for a month. Three dead in her children's school. She said it has hit so hard there the stores there are totally out of Advil, cold meds and Tylenol.

 

[Emma]

This is serious shit, regardless of some on the right claiming it's a hoax or fear-mongering by the administration.

Our hospital is putting out H1N1 newsletters with info on how we're to prepare. The statistics provided are quite sobering.

Yesterday, September 9, 2009, Washington State University in Spokane had a total of 2,500 students ill with H1N1.

Here in VA, it's hitting schools and colleges, too.

BTW, the rapid flu test (swab) is only positive in 40-69% of the cases, so a negative result does NOT rule out H1N1.


Symptoms of hospitalized novel H1N1 patients

• Fever* (93%)
  
• Cough (83%)
  
• Shortness of breath (54%)
  
• Fatigue/Weakness (40%)
  
• Chills (37%)
  
• Myalgias (36%)
  
• Rhinorrhea (36%)
  
• Sore Throat (31%)
  
• Headache (31%)
  
• Vomiting (29%)
  
• Wheezing (24%)
  
• Diarrhea (24%)

1.Because of limited availability the following will be the priority for vaccination: There will even be priorities within these subsets.

1.Pregnant women

2.Individuals living with or caring for children < 6 months of age

3.Health Care Workers – Emergency Medical Responders

4.Those between the ages of 6 months and 24 years

5.25-64 year olds with underlying medical conditions.

Severe disease with H1N1 has been seen most frequently in patients with the following underlying conditions:

• Asthma
  
• Chronic Lung Disease
  
• Diabetes
  
• Obesity
  
• Children with Neuro-cognitive Disorders
  
• Pregnancy

a.Current estimates of vaccine availability are far less than anticipated demand. Therefore, the following populations should be the focus of your site’s initial vaccination efforts according to the CDC and ACIP:

i.Pregnant women

ii.Persons who live with or provide care for infants aged <6 months (i.e. parents, siblings, daycare providers)

iii.Health-care and emergency medical service personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious materials

iv.Children aged 6 months to 4 years

v.Children and adolescents aged 5-18 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications. These complications include:

1.Chronic pulmonary conditions (including asthma)
2.Cardiovascular (except hypertension)
3.Renal or Hepatic
4.Cognitive, neurologic/neuromuscular, hematological, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
5.Immunosuppression (including immunosuppression due to medications or HIV)

 

[RodISHI]

Evidently one of the children at her children school had never been sick. She was ten years old. So it is not just those who already have weak immune systems. Our daughter stays up on this stuff fairly well and keeps us up to date. She said mom if you or Rod do get it do not lay down as it heads straight for the lungs. She said it is like it eats the lungs.

Also cases now showing up here in Iowa. School has not been in full swing for a month yet.

 

[Terry]

I was in wal mart tonight, and center front was a table set up, a sign that said "H1N1 Shots here" The two ladies sitting at the table looked to be under 20 years old, dressed in Jeans and an old t-shirt. They more or less looked like they just came out of HoJo's.

Would you get the shot from them? As a matter of fact, I won't be getting the flu shot this year after I saw that crap.

Nope...I'll take the risk.

 

[RodISHI]

I was in wal mart tonight, and center front was a table set up, a sign that said "H1N1 Shots here" The two ladies sitting at the table looked to be under 20 years old, dressed in Jeans and an old t-shirt. They more or less looked like they just came out of HoJo's.

Would you get the shot from them? As a matter of fact, I won't be getting the flu shot this year after I saw that crap.

Nope...I'll take the risk.

We have never had flu shots. My parents have and one years that they got both pneumonia and flu shots they thought they were goners. Every year for the last four years even though they have had these shots they have still gotten pneumonia and flu.

I think more than anything the schools need to be better equipped to deal with germs. That has been a complaint of mine for years. At the very least they can filter their ductwork to minimize germs being spread. It would not cost that much to retrofit most air and heat units.

 

[Diuretic]

Vaccination is no guarantee but it's not a bad risk management tactic.

Agreed that basic hygiene is a key to this, I am appalled at the people I saw this winter on the bus to work who sneezed without bothering to try and contain the droplets. No wonder it's spreading. Simple behaviours can stop it.