Flu News
Dr. Ed Belongia discusses H1N1 flu
Dr. Ed Belongia discusses H1N1 influenza in this two-part podcast.
Part 1
Part 2
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Pregnant Women and the Flu: Five things you need to know
Pregnant women, even ones who are healthy, can have medical complications from the seasonal and H1N1 (swine) flu.
If you are pregnant, use these five tips to prepare for the flu season from Flu.gov, which provides one-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information.
Why people with diabetes should be concerned about the flu
One of the complications caused by the flu (seasonal or H1N1) is developing pneumonia.
According to the CDC, people with diabetes are more likely to die as the result of flu complications than the general population.
Yet more than 50 percent of the people with diabetes do not get the flu vaccination.
Pneumococcal disease kills more people in the United States each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined, and people with diabetes are at greater risk, according to the CDC.
Pneumococcal disease is caused by a common bacterium, the pneumococcus, which can attack different parts of the body.
When bacteria invade the lungs, they cause the most common form of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia; when bacteria invade the bloodstream, they cause bacteremia; and when they invade the covering of the brain, they cause meningitis, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
People with diabetes or other medical complications should contact their health care provider about the flu and pneumococcal vaccinations.
We have more information on diabetes to help you manage this disease.
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***UPDATE: 10/06/2009***
Flu Fact: Why People Age 65 and Over Are Not High Priority for H1N1 Vaccinations
Why aren't people 65 and older recommended to get early doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine?
There are two main reasons why people age 65 and older are not included in the groups recommended to get the initial doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine:
1. People age 65 and older are least likely to get sick with this virus, and,
2. There will be limited amounts of vaccine available at first, so the first doses are recommended to go to those who are most likely to get infected and become very ill.
People age 65 and older are still urged to get a seasonal flu vaccination as soon as possible.
Read the full article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Flu season is coming early this year.
The annual seasonal flu season usually begins in late fall, however this year the novel influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) virus is active now.
The annual seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu are two different, but similar diseases that develop from two different flu viruses.
Each year, complications from the seasonal flu put about 200,000 people in the hospital and result in some 36,000 deaths.
This year, H1N1 flu is active worldwide and could become a major public health problem.
You can contract both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu.
Your best defense against the seasonal flu is an annual vaccination. If you received a flu shot last season, it will not protect you from this year’s virus.
The sooner you receive your seasonal vaccination, the better protected you will be according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
*** UPDATE: 11/13/2009***
A vaccine for H1N1 flu is now available to people in the groups that are considered ‘high risk.’ The vaccine will be available to others after the high risk people are protected.
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The CDC has identified two separate groups of people who are at high risk for contracting seasonal flu and H1N1 flu and developing serious complications.
The CDC recommends that everyone receive both vaccinations with a few exceptions.
Marshfield Clinic offers seasonal flu shot clinics throughout central and northern Wisconsin. When the vaccine for H1N1 flu is available, Marshfield Clinic will offer those shots also.
