vt.mathgirl
Well-known member
This from the Rutland Herald, letter to editor section.
Article published Sep 4, 2009
Extra danger for swine flu
Lauren Neergaard's Associated Press story on swine flu, which ran on the front page of Monday's paper (Aug. 31), does not address the relationship between swine flu (now preferably called H1N1) and chronic fatigue syndrome. The first case of post-swine flu CFS has now been reported in a 15-year-old male (living in New Zealand). The severity of H1N1 infection in CFS patients will be greater, and recovery will be much slower. Of greater concern, however, will be the failure of physicians to recognize CFS in patients (particularly adolescents) whose symptoms of flu-like infection linger beyond the normal recovery time. Failure to recognize and treat CFS promptly will result in prolonged illness, possibly chronic illness, and lifetime disability. The VT CFIDS Association was instrumental in passing Vermont legislation which has brought access to a physicians' diagnosis and treatment manual to Vermont, has established a medical student scholarship to teach medical students about CFS, but has not been successful in getting either the University of Vermont Medical School or Fletcher Allen Healthcare to host a Centers for Disease Control-sponsored, continuing medical education grand rounds on the diagnosis and treatment of CFS. CFS patients who contract H1N1, or individuals who contract H1N1 and seem to be having a prolonged recovery, should consult a CFS-literate physician or contact the VT CFIDS Association for assistance.
KENNETH FRIEDMAN
Pawlet
The writer is an associate professor of pharmacology and physiology at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark, N.J., and currently serves as a board member of the VT CFIDS Association.
Article published Sep 4, 2009
Extra danger for swine flu
Lauren Neergaard's Associated Press story on swine flu, which ran on the front page of Monday's paper (Aug. 31), does not address the relationship between swine flu (now preferably called H1N1) and chronic fatigue syndrome. The first case of post-swine flu CFS has now been reported in a 15-year-old male (living in New Zealand). The severity of H1N1 infection in CFS patients will be greater, and recovery will be much slower. Of greater concern, however, will be the failure of physicians to recognize CFS in patients (particularly adolescents) whose symptoms of flu-like infection linger beyond the normal recovery time. Failure to recognize and treat CFS promptly will result in prolonged illness, possibly chronic illness, and lifetime disability. The VT CFIDS Association was instrumental in passing Vermont legislation which has brought access to a physicians' diagnosis and treatment manual to Vermont, has established a medical student scholarship to teach medical students about CFS, but has not been successful in getting either the University of Vermont Medical School or Fletcher Allen Healthcare to host a Centers for Disease Control-sponsored, continuing medical education grand rounds on the diagnosis and treatment of CFS. CFS patients who contract H1N1, or individuals who contract H1N1 and seem to be having a prolonged recovery, should consult a CFS-literate physician or contact the VT CFIDS Association for assistance.
KENNETH FRIEDMAN
Pawlet
The writer is an associate professor of pharmacology and physiology at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark, N.J., and currently serves as a board member of the VT CFIDS Association.
