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Difficult flu season seen ahead
by: KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
7/21/2009 9:31:44 AM
State and local health officials are preparing for what may be the most difficult flu season they have seen ? with two different strains and three shots.
The seasonal flu and the swine flu ? also known as H1N1 ? require different vaccines.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended states offer the seasonal flu vaccine Sept. 1, a month early.
But the swine flu vaccine, which was expected to be distributed to states around mid-October, has been delayed. Recent development problems may mean it won't be available until near the end of the year. In addition, CDC hasn't yet determined how much swine flu vaccine each state will get.
"Not knowing how much vaccine Oklahoma will receive makes planning very challenging," said state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. "We are planning for it to be offered broadly, but we may have to scale that back."
The swine flu shot is a two-dose series, with the shots given a month apart, she said.
"We have been preparing for years for something like what we potentially face in the fall," said Dave Cox, director of emergency preparedness and response for the Tulsa City-County Health Department.
He said the agency has the ability to provide mass vaccinations to the some 600,000 Tulsa County residents quickly through its 10 dispensing sites.
"We feel strongly there are going to be more people wanting to get vaccinated for the H1N1 virus," Cox said. Typically, the agency vaccinates around 37,000 people each year for seasonal flu.
"We prepare for the worst. And when things don't happen, people look at us like we're crying wolf," he said. "But we have to prepare for the worst."
Swine flu outbreaks have never stopped, although cases so far have tended to be mild. But flu viruses are unpredictable and the more they circulate, the greater the chance it will mutate into a more deadly virus.
"That is the unknown," Bradley said, noting there is wide susceptibility in the population to the swine flu virus because most have never encountered it before.
Calling the swine flu virus "unstoppable," the World Health Organization on June 11 declared a global pandemic, which refers more to the spread of the virus than the severity of it.
Seasonal flu currently is more deadly than swine flu, causing an estimated 36,000 deaths each year.
Bradley said Oklahoma is improving its influenza-like illness surveillance system to better track the spread of swine flu and will be using a severity index to closely monitor the disease's virulence.
Oklahoma is expected to receive about $3 million in federal funds to combat swine flu. The U.S. Health and Human Services announced earlier this month it would set aside $350 million for flu preparedness; $90 million will go to hospitals and the rest to public health agencies.
This summer, the new flu virus spread like wildfire through summer camps in 16 states. In Oklahoma, 50 percent of those who contracted the swine flu were younger than 18, said new Oklahoma Health Commissioner Terry Cline.
"What that tells us is that schools will most likely play a very important role in preventing the spread of the virus," he said.
Second to health care workers, people under age 18 are likely to be a priority for the vaccine, the state epidemiologist said. That is completely different from seasonal flu, where very young people or people over age 65 are at greater risk, she said.
With swine flu, the highest rates of death and complications in the U.S. have occurred among people ages 30 to 50, Bradley said.
"Older persons may have cross-reactive natural immunity, which means they've encountered a related virus that their immune system has some memory of," she said.
Finally, Cline stressed that personal responsibility plays a major role in preventing the spread of swine flu.
"We need to be vigilant with this virus," he said. "People are looking at the federal government or their health care system to do this, but every single individual has the ability to impact the spread of this virus.
"People need to be developing good habits now to prevent transmission of the flu. They should practice coughing or sneezing into the crook of their arm. They need to start now because these things are reflexive."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swine flu statistics
OKLAHOMA
190
reported cases
1
death, a 43-year-old Kay County man
UNITED STATES
37,246
reported cases
211
deaths
1 million
estimated actual flu cases, according to the CDC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two populations at risk
For seasonal flu, people older than 65, people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women and very young children.
For swine flu, healthy children ages 18 and younger make up a significant number of mild cases. Pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions of any age are also vulnerable.
Source: Tulsa City-County Health Department
Seasonal flu symptoms
?Fever
?Headache
?Dry cough
?Sore throat
?Runny or stuffy nose
?Muscle aches
Swine flu symptoms:
?Fatigue
?Lack of appetite
?Coughing
A significant number of people had:
?Runny nose
?Sore throat
?Vomiting
?Diarrhea
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20090721_17_A1_Statea730593
by: KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
7/21/2009 9:31:44 AM
State and local health officials are preparing for what may be the most difficult flu season they have seen ? with two different strains and three shots.
The seasonal flu and the swine flu ? also known as H1N1 ? require different vaccines.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended states offer the seasonal flu vaccine Sept. 1, a month early.
But the swine flu vaccine, which was expected to be distributed to states around mid-October, has been delayed. Recent development problems may mean it won't be available until near the end of the year. In addition, CDC hasn't yet determined how much swine flu vaccine each state will get.
"Not knowing how much vaccine Oklahoma will receive makes planning very challenging," said state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. "We are planning for it to be offered broadly, but we may have to scale that back."
The swine flu shot is a two-dose series, with the shots given a month apart, she said.
"We have been preparing for years for something like what we potentially face in the fall," said Dave Cox, director of emergency preparedness and response for the Tulsa City-County Health Department.
He said the agency has the ability to provide mass vaccinations to the some 600,000 Tulsa County residents quickly through its 10 dispensing sites.
"We feel strongly there are going to be more people wanting to get vaccinated for the H1N1 virus," Cox said. Typically, the agency vaccinates around 37,000 people each year for seasonal flu.
"We prepare for the worst. And when things don't happen, people look at us like we're crying wolf," he said. "But we have to prepare for the worst."
Swine flu outbreaks have never stopped, although cases so far have tended to be mild. But flu viruses are unpredictable and the more they circulate, the greater the chance it will mutate into a more deadly virus.
"That is the unknown," Bradley said, noting there is wide susceptibility in the population to the swine flu virus because most have never encountered it before.
Calling the swine flu virus "unstoppable," the World Health Organization on June 11 declared a global pandemic, which refers more to the spread of the virus than the severity of it.
Seasonal flu currently is more deadly than swine flu, causing an estimated 36,000 deaths each year.
Bradley said Oklahoma is improving its influenza-like illness surveillance system to better track the spread of swine flu and will be using a severity index to closely monitor the disease's virulence.
Oklahoma is expected to receive about $3 million in federal funds to combat swine flu. The U.S. Health and Human Services announced earlier this month it would set aside $350 million for flu preparedness; $90 million will go to hospitals and the rest to public health agencies.
This summer, the new flu virus spread like wildfire through summer camps in 16 states. In Oklahoma, 50 percent of those who contracted the swine flu were younger than 18, said new Oklahoma Health Commissioner Terry Cline.
"What that tells us is that schools will most likely play a very important role in preventing the spread of the virus," he said.
Second to health care workers, people under age 18 are likely to be a priority for the vaccine, the state epidemiologist said. That is completely different from seasonal flu, where very young people or people over age 65 are at greater risk, she said.
With swine flu, the highest rates of death and complications in the U.S. have occurred among people ages 30 to 50, Bradley said.
"Older persons may have cross-reactive natural immunity, which means they've encountered a related virus that their immune system has some memory of," she said.
Finally, Cline stressed that personal responsibility plays a major role in preventing the spread of swine flu.
"We need to be vigilant with this virus," he said. "People are looking at the federal government or their health care system to do this, but every single individual has the ability to impact the spread of this virus.
"People need to be developing good habits now to prevent transmission of the flu. They should practice coughing or sneezing into the crook of their arm. They need to start now because these things are reflexive."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swine flu statistics
OKLAHOMA
190
reported cases
1
death, a 43-year-old Kay County man
UNITED STATES
37,246
reported cases
211
deaths
1 million
estimated actual flu cases, according to the CDC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two populations at risk
For seasonal flu, people older than 65, people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women and very young children.
For swine flu, healthy children ages 18 and younger make up a significant number of mild cases. Pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions of any age are also vulnerable.
Source: Tulsa City-County Health Department
Seasonal flu symptoms
?Fever
?Headache
?Dry cough
?Sore throat
?Runny or stuffy nose
?Muscle aches
Swine flu symptoms:
?Fatigue
?Lack of appetite
?Coughing
A significant number of people had:
?Runny nose
?Sore throat
?Vomiting
?Diarrhea
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20090721_17_A1_Statea730593