CDC and USOC to hold H1N1 vaccination events in Colorado and Alaska

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CDC and USOC to hold H1N1 vaccination events in Colorado and Alaska

4. January 2010 00:09
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As America gears up for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the U.S. Surgeon General and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leaders will team up with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to hold H1N1 vaccination events at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Anchorage, Alaska on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials, Olympic-level athletes, staff, and coaches will get the H1N1 vaccine and join leaders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in encouraging Americans to do the same.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20...accination-events-in-Colorado-and-Alaska.aspx

 

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Re: CDC and USOC to hold H1N1 vaccination events in Colorado and Alaska

Surgeon General warns H1N1 remains a threat, urges vaccination

January 05, 2010 12:42 PM

BRIAN NEWSOME
The Gazette
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Surgeon General Regina Benjamin saw plenty of viruses during some 23 years as a family doctor in Alabama.

H1N1, she said Tuesday from the U.S. Olympic headquarters in Colorado Springs, is worse.

"During those times," she said about her medical practice, "I had never seen as strong and as pervasive a virus as the H1N1. The difference with this virus is that the strong and healthy, just like you (Olympic) athletes, are getting sick, and some are dying of this virus."

Cases of the pandemic flu have decreased since the fall, even as vaccine has become available to everyone who wants it. The top U.S. doctor's message, delivered at a vaccination clinic for the U.S. Olympic staff on Tuesday, was intended to remind people that the virus -- and the need to be vaccinated -- remains.

Benjamin, who was appointed to the cabinet-level post by President Barack Obama and is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 11, said some 50 million people in the U.S. have been infected with H1N1 since it was first discovered last April, and about 200,000 of them were hospitalized. There have been 10,000 deaths, with more than a thousand of those being children, she said.

"We know that the more people that get vaccinated, the less likely we are to have illness in the coming months," she said.

Flu is notoriously unpredictable, but past pandemics suggest there could be a third wave of cases. Vaccine, which is widely considered by the medical community as the most effective flu deterrent, could significantly lessen the impact of such a resurgence if it occurs. During a 1957 pandemic, cases went down in December, but deaths increased in the following three months, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, assistant surgeon general and director of immunization and respiratory diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who was also at Tuesday's clinic and news conference.

Rather than guessing what the flu will do, the two federal officials said the vaccine is a safe way to prevent it.

Schuchat told reporters: "I spent most of 2009 talking about very sad events, about pregnant women and children and healthy adults getting really sick from this H1N1 virus, and I'm thrilled that we have a lot of vaccine right now and a chance to have a good news story for 2010."

Schuchat also said that people who suspect they have had the flu should still be vaccinated, given the risk of initially being diagnosed with a different illness and not having immunity.

http://www.gazette.com/articles/surgeon-91808-h1n1-general.html

 

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Re: CDC and USOC to hold H1N1 vaccination events in Colorado and Alaska

The White House Blog

Teaming Up with Olympians to Fight H1N1

Posted by Dr. Regina Benjamin on January 05, 2010 at 06:20 PM EST

Bob Morris, U.S. Weightlifting Coach, gets his vaccination at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. January 5, 2010. (by Chris Coleman, USOC)

Next month, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will begin in Canada. The world?s top athletes will gather in Vancouver, along with spectators from across the globe. These Games inspire all Americans to be physically active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One immediate step that you can take to protect your health is to get your H1N1 flu vaccination. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls training for Vancouver are doing just that. Today, athletes, coaches, and staff who are Vancouver bound are getting vaccinated against the H1N1 flu at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. We urge all Americans to do the same and get their H1N1 vaccine.

As a doctor, I?ve treated patients during many flu seasons. Unfortunately, H1N1 has already made the 2009-2010 flu season one of the most challenging in recent memory. Ninety-nine percent of the flu that is making people sick in the U.S. is H1N1. Even though H1N1 is decreasing in some areas the flu is unpredictable ? we could see more illness as flu season continues.

The H1N1 vaccine is safe, effective, and is the best way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the flu.

To find a clinic near you, visit Flu.gov for our vaccine locator tool which will guide you to the nearest H1N1 vaccination location.

Participating in the H1N1 vaccination event at the Olympic Training Center were (left to right): Colorado Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ned Calonge, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, Assistant U.S. Surgeon General and Director of CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Anne Schuchat, and USOC COO Norman Bellingham. January 5, 2010. (by Chris Coleman, USOC)


Dr. Regina Benjamin is the U.S. Surgeon General

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/05/teaming-with-olympians-fight-h1n1