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http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2009/11/post_12.html
Swine flu cases in Louisiana rising, but slowly
By John Pope, The Times-Picayune
November 30, 2009, 6:12PM
About 7,000 more Louisianians have been added to the total of estimated cases of swine flu since last week?s report on the outbreak, but the state Department of Health and Hospitals? death toll remained at 39, according to figures released Monday.
The state?s number of confirmed cases rose by 20, from 1,840 to 1,860, confirming state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard?s opinion last week that the epidemic may be running out of steam after running low on susceptible people.
Although the number of confirmed cases in Louisiana is relatively low, state disease specialists estimate that 195,000 people ? about one Louisiana resident in four ? have contracted the H1N1 virus. These figures are estimates because an overwhelming majority of these people did not seek medical help.
Louisiana has ordered 876,100 doses of the H1N1 vaccine and has received 714,800, about 82 percent.
State figures show that 146,061 Louisianians have been vaccinated against the new strain of influenza, which was first detected in the United States in April, the state health department reported.
The vaccine is still reserved for people believed to be at greatest risk, including anyone younger than 24, pregnant women, people who care for infants, front-line health-care workers and people with chronic health problems such as diabetes and immune-system deficiencies.
Because students are in this category, schools have received shipments of the vaccine. However, representatives of local institutions and the state health department said these doses are meant for people in those institutions who meet criteria for receiving shots.
Vaccinations may be available for the general public in three weeks, state health department spokesman Ren? Milligan said.
The decision to let more people be inoculated will be made on a state-by-state basis, said Joe Quimby, a spokesman for the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
More information about swine flu, including names of health care providers and businesses that have received the vaccine, is at www.FightthefluLA.com.
Although swine flu has been the strain of this disease that has been getting the most attention since late summer, it?s almost time for seasonal influenza to set in.
Besides making as many as one American in five feel horrible, seasonal flu can make about 200,000 people sick enough to be hospitalized each year, according to the CDC. About 36,000 people die each year from flu-related complications such as pneumonia, which can be especially dangerous for older people.
So far, about 94 million doses against seasonal flu have been distributed, Quimby said.
This is more than the usual amount at this time of year, he said, but there has been ?a significant uptake? in demand because of concern about swine flu.
One vaccine will not protect against the other strain. Both perform the same function: They prompt the immune system to produce antibodies against the infection, a process that takes 12 to 15 days.
Because of the demand for protection against flu, the supply of seasonal-flu vaccine has been tight nationwide, Milligan said.
John Pope can be reached at jpope@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3317
Swine flu cases in Louisiana rising, but slowly
By John Pope, The Times-Picayune
November 30, 2009, 6:12PM
About 7,000 more Louisianians have been added to the total of estimated cases of swine flu since last week?s report on the outbreak, but the state Department of Health and Hospitals? death toll remained at 39, according to figures released Monday.
The state?s number of confirmed cases rose by 20, from 1,840 to 1,860, confirming state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard?s opinion last week that the epidemic may be running out of steam after running low on susceptible people.
Although the number of confirmed cases in Louisiana is relatively low, state disease specialists estimate that 195,000 people ? about one Louisiana resident in four ? have contracted the H1N1 virus. These figures are estimates because an overwhelming majority of these people did not seek medical help.
Louisiana has ordered 876,100 doses of the H1N1 vaccine and has received 714,800, about 82 percent.
State figures show that 146,061 Louisianians have been vaccinated against the new strain of influenza, which was first detected in the United States in April, the state health department reported.
The vaccine is still reserved for people believed to be at greatest risk, including anyone younger than 24, pregnant women, people who care for infants, front-line health-care workers and people with chronic health problems such as diabetes and immune-system deficiencies.
Because students are in this category, schools have received shipments of the vaccine. However, representatives of local institutions and the state health department said these doses are meant for people in those institutions who meet criteria for receiving shots.
Vaccinations may be available for the general public in three weeks, state health department spokesman Ren? Milligan said.
The decision to let more people be inoculated will be made on a state-by-state basis, said Joe Quimby, a spokesman for the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
More information about swine flu, including names of health care providers and businesses that have received the vaccine, is at www.FightthefluLA.com.
Although swine flu has been the strain of this disease that has been getting the most attention since late summer, it?s almost time for seasonal influenza to set in.
Besides making as many as one American in five feel horrible, seasonal flu can make about 200,000 people sick enough to be hospitalized each year, according to the CDC. About 36,000 people die each year from flu-related complications such as pneumonia, which can be especially dangerous for older people.
So far, about 94 million doses against seasonal flu have been distributed, Quimby said.
This is more than the usual amount at this time of year, he said, but there has been ?a significant uptake? in demand because of concern about swine flu.
One vaccine will not protect against the other strain. Both perform the same function: They prompt the immune system to produce antibodies against the infection, a process that takes 12 to 15 days.
Because of the demand for protection against flu, the supply of seasonal-flu vaccine has been tight nationwide, Milligan said.
John Pope can be reached at jpope@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3317