tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
By Don Finley - Express-News
No, swine flu has not gone away.
Three people, including a 21-year-old woman who had given birth 20 hours earlier ? the newborn survived ? have died from the virus in San Antonio hospitals in the past two weeks, health officials said Friday.
Officially, flu is circulating at very low levels both locally and across Texas, and no states currently report widespread activity. But those three deaths, and at least 76 people hospitalized here since the beginning of the year, demonstrate swine flu remains a threat, said Roger Sanchez, senior epidemiologist with the Metropolitan Health District.
?People have become complacent,? Sanchez said. ?It's still out there, and people need to be aware it's still there. Health providers need to vaccinate those in high-risk categories for sure. And vaccinate children because they're the ones that transmit it to adults.?
And with few people asking for swine flu shots, there's plenty of vaccine available, he added.
Nationally, health officials have encouraged pregnant women to get vaccinated. About 6 percent of swine flu deaths have been among pregnant women, who make up roughly 1 percent of the population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
The woman who died here apparently caught the infection from another of her children, who was sick seven to 10 days earlier, Sanchez said.
The other two deaths were men, ages 45 and 60. That brings to 21 the number of Bexar County residents who have died from known or suspected swine flu infections since it was detected in April 2009. Two were children.
In recent weeks, laboratories have reported at least seven respiratory viruses circulating in the county, with flu near the bottom in terms of percentages. Rhinovirus ? often referred to as the common cold ? was seen most often, followed by human metapneumovirus, a recently identified virus with coldlike symptoms.
Although health officials now say anyone who wants the vaccine should get it, they still urge in particular those at high risk for complications ? including pregnant women and people with chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Although it's unclear how many local residents have been vaccinated against swine flu, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 667,340 doses have been distributed to private doctors, pharmacies and clinics in Bexar County, with another 120,535 doses issued to Metro Health.
Metro Health is giving free flu shots at its clinics, with the one at 345 W. Commerce St. offering them without appointment. For more information, call (210) 207-5779.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/swine_flu/86681542.html
No, swine flu has not gone away.
Three people, including a 21-year-old woman who had given birth 20 hours earlier ? the newborn survived ? have died from the virus in San Antonio hospitals in the past two weeks, health officials said Friday.
Officially, flu is circulating at very low levels both locally and across Texas, and no states currently report widespread activity. But those three deaths, and at least 76 people hospitalized here since the beginning of the year, demonstrate swine flu remains a threat, said Roger Sanchez, senior epidemiologist with the Metropolitan Health District.
?People have become complacent,? Sanchez said. ?It's still out there, and people need to be aware it's still there. Health providers need to vaccinate those in high-risk categories for sure. And vaccinate children because they're the ones that transmit it to adults.?
And with few people asking for swine flu shots, there's plenty of vaccine available, he added.
Nationally, health officials have encouraged pregnant women to get vaccinated. About 6 percent of swine flu deaths have been among pregnant women, who make up roughly 1 percent of the population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
The woman who died here apparently caught the infection from another of her children, who was sick seven to 10 days earlier, Sanchez said.
The other two deaths were men, ages 45 and 60. That brings to 21 the number of Bexar County residents who have died from known or suspected swine flu infections since it was detected in April 2009. Two were children.
In recent weeks, laboratories have reported at least seven respiratory viruses circulating in the county, with flu near the bottom in terms of percentages. Rhinovirus ? often referred to as the common cold ? was seen most often, followed by human metapneumovirus, a recently identified virus with coldlike symptoms.
Although health officials now say anyone who wants the vaccine should get it, they still urge in particular those at high risk for complications ? including pregnant women and people with chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Although it's unclear how many local residents have been vaccinated against swine flu, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 667,340 doses have been distributed to private doctors, pharmacies and clinics in Bexar County, with another 120,535 doses issued to Metro Health.
Metro Health is giving free flu shots at its clinics, with the one at 345 W. Commerce St. offering them without appointment. For more information, call (210) 207-5779.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/swine_flu/86681542.html
