Peninsula Daily News News Sources
The first doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine for the North Olympic Peninsula were received last week by Jefferson Healthcare hospital, Olympic Medical Center, Forks Community Hospital, Clallam County Health and Jefferson County health officials.
More doses are expected weekly.
Who’s first in line for the small stock of H1N1 vaccine now on hand?
Pregnant women.
Caregivers or parents of newborns.
Health-care workers (because they are at high risk for infection and could put vulnerable patients at risk).
People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years (H1N1 is predominantly striking the young).
Those between 25 and 64 with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes that increase the risk of complications from flu.
Are you over 60?
Older people in good health are not among the priority groups.
While regular winter flu is most dangerous to older adults, one of the unique characteristics of swine flu is that many people older than 60 might be somewhat protected against it.
Some experts believe that many seniors may have developed a partial immunity to swine flu from similar flu viruses that circulated the globe until the late 1950s.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, a public health official with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said blood tests undertaken by the CDC on hundreds of senior citizens showed that a third of all people over 60 have antibodies in their system that appeared to grant them some protection against the new flu.
These tests may help to explain why the current swine flu outbreak appears to largely target children and young people. — only one in 100 flu cases in the U.S. happens to be a person who is more than 60
But Schuchat cautioned that how useful these antibodies will be in a real world flu epidemic remains to be seen — that today’s swine flu is only a distant relative of past strains and that older people at best have limited but not total protection against the new flu virus.
She encouraged those over 60 to take the same precautions against the new flu as their children and grandchildren.
Once enough the vaccine is available by the end of this month, health authorities are recommending people get the H1N1 vaccine at the same place they get a seasonal flu shot — a doctor’s office, commercial pharmacies and health centers and community sites where flu clinics will be held for those with limited access to a regular doctor.
All the data from the ongoing clinical trials of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine indicate it is just as safe as the regular seasonal flu vaccine.
This was expected, since the 2009 H1N1 vaccine is made in exactly the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine.
The H1N1 vaccine itself is free because the government bought it with your tax dollars.
But providers can charge a fee for administering it, usually about $20.
Regular flu shots tend to cost up to $35.
The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to seasonal flu.
The H1N1 vaccine does not protect against seasonal flu.
Swine flu is widespread across the state, with 154 lab-confirmed hospitalization cases (and 11 deaths) reported from April 19 through the end of August.
As of Sept. 11, more than 2,500 Washington State University students were believed to have been sickened by swine flu.
Nearly all patients at the university reported only mild symptoms and recovered in three to five days.
There have been no reported swine flu cases on the North Olympic Peninsula so far this season.
Recommended preventative measures against swine flu and normal winter flu:
Boost family’s immunity: Get sleep, eat right, exercise.
Know the contagion: People with H1N1 can infect others from a day before symptoms to five to seven days after, perhaps longer in children.
Know how it spreads: Through coughs and sneezes of flu sufferers and by touching germy surfaces, then touching mouth or nose.
Focus on prevention: Stay at least 6 feet away from flu sufferers. Wipe surfaces and toys with household disinfectant. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. Wash hands frequently. Use hand sanitizer.
Symptoms: Fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea.
Call doctor immediately if: Child has fast or troubled breathing, bluish or gray skin color, won’t drink fluids, has severe or persistent vomiting, or will not wake up or interact.
Fluids: Drink plenty.
For more information: Clallam County Health & Human Services in Port Angeles, 360-417-2274; Jefferson County Public Health in Port Townsend, 360-385-9400.
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(With North Olympic Peninsula flu story, above . . .)
National toll reflects early illness season
Peninsula Daily News
news services
ATLANTA — The number of children who have died from swine flu has jumped sharply as the virus spreads throughout the United States, federal officials said.
The deaths of 19 children and teens were reported in the past week, pushing the nation’s total H1N1 pediatric deaths to 76 since April, officials said — more evidence the virus is unusually dangerous for the young.
It was the deadliest week for children since the pandemic began in the spring — but none of the deaths were in Washington or Oregon.
In comparison, regular seasonal flu kills between 46 and 88 children and teens a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
“These pediatric deaths seem to be increasing substantially,” said Anne Schuchat, who heads the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
“It’s only the beginning of October,” she told reporters Friday, noting the flu season usually starts much later and runs through May.
While most children who died had other health problems that made them particularly vulnerable, such as asthma, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, 20 to 30 percent were otherwise healthy, Schuchat said.
Many of the deaths resulted from bacterial infections after immune systems were weakened by flu.
A vaccine to prevent such infections is underused, she added.
Experts said it’s important for parents to watch children’s symptoms carefully.
If a child appears to get better, but fever and a cough return, there may be a second infection. Other trouble signs: rapid or difficult breathing, bluish skin color.
Experts believe older people are suffering less from H1N1, perhaps because they have immunity from exposure over the years to somewhat similar viruses. (See story, above)
At least 37 states, including Washington, report widespread flu activity, up from 27 states a week ago.
The recent pediatric deaths were two in Maryland; three in Tennessee; seven in Texas; and one each in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Since the pandemic began, at least 3,873 Americans have died from complications associated with flu, primarily the H1N1 virus, including at least 28 pregnant women.
Normal seasonal flu causes approximately 38,000 deaths and 220,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year.
The increase in pediatric deaths comes as the federal vaccination campaign is beginning. Millions of doses began arriving this week.
The increase in pediatric deaths provided more incentive for parents to get themselves and their children vaccinated against the virus, Schuchat said.
“Vaccine against flu is the best way to protect yourself from influenza, and those around you,” she said.
The federal government has spent about $2 billion to buy at least 250 million doses of vaccine in the hopes of inoculating more than half the U.S. population, and it has pledged to buy enough to vaccinate everyone if there is sufficient demand.
National surveys indicate about 40 percent of Americans are sure they will get the vaccine, with those who are reluctant citing doubts about the severity of the virus and concerns about vaccine side effects.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday that trials continue to show that one dose is sufficient for healthy adults.
And he said the trials have revealed no serious adverse effects.
