CDC's National Influenza Campaign: Flu Activity Still High

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Flu activity is still high across the country and CDC wants to make sure people know the importance of getting vaccinated and caring for yourself and loved ones who are sick. CDC recommends “take 3 actions” to fight the flu – get vaccinated, take every day preventative actions to stop the spread of germs (avoid sick people, stay home when you’re sick, cover your nose and mouth and wash your hands), and take antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

CDC Flu is High

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·         CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu.

·         U.S. flu season continues; influenza-like-illness has fallen in the East and risen sharply in the West.

·         The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can vary from season to season. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and continue to occur as late as May.

·         Symptoms of the flu may include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, and fatigue.

·         For information on weekly flu activity, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivitysurv.htm

·         People seeking vaccination may need to call more than one provider to locate vaccine at this time. The flu vaccine finder at http://flushot.healthmap.org/ may be helpful.

·         Antiviral treatment can avert serious outcomes and should begin as quickly as possible in high risk persons, including people 65 and older, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain underlying conditions like asthma, heart disease, diabetes and neurological disorders.

·         While antiviral drugs work best when given within 48 hours of symptom onset, observational studies have shown that giving antivirals 48 or more hours after symptom onset can still prevent serious flu-related outcomes.

-- From CDC Message to Readers About 2012-2013 Flu

 

the h1n1 vaccine is almost here

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According to CNN, it looks like the H1N1 vaccine is almost here!  Yippee!  Seriously though, I have seen personally a sharp rise in flu admissions to the hospitals I work for and find it quite scary my current patient is a lady in her second trimester with possible H1N1.  It's not that I am personally scared of H1N1.  I've personally never had the flu, I don't believe... there's one time where I may have had the flu but it's sketchy.  College life, you know. But, the very young and the very old at risk.  Seems to me the obese have a worse case as well.

Here's a chart that I've been following to follow outbreaks.  I hope you find it useful.

Swine Flu Continues

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...though the media has dropped the story from their front page headlines. Perhaps there weren't enough people dying from it as originally was feared, but having the flu in the summer (for Americans now) is very strange!

There are 25,288 confirmed cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization’s latest briefing Monday, with 73 countries having at least one case. There have been 139 deaths confirmed caused by Swine Flu worldwide, according to the WHO. Mexico, where the illness is believed to have originated, has 5,717 cases and 106 deaths, according to the WHO.

The U.S. has the most cases, with 13,217 confirmed and probable — up from just more than 10,000 last week. There are cases now in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., as of 11 a.m. Monday, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 27 confirmed deaths in the U.S., with three in Texas, five in Illinois, four in Arizona, two in Utah, eight in New York and one in Connecticut, Missouri, Michigan, Virginia and Washington.

Swine Flu

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Oh, sorry... I meant to say H1N1. I wouldn't want the farmers to have to slaughter their swine since people aren't eating swine with the thoughts of pigs passing this disease to us. Stop the presses. You mean farmers are killing pigs because of the Swine Flu?

And you are upset?

Aren't the pigs going to get slaughtered anyway? *sigh*

Here we are in the middle of a mild case of the flu hitting the US in the spring. Glad it didn't hit in the fall.

Underlying conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease or tuberculosis appear to put swine flu victims at greater risk of hospitalization or death, doctors from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

** so does the regular flu **

Swine flu tally reaches 3,440 in 29 countries: from the World Health Organization.

Handwashing...

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I know, I know, no drugs involved on this one, but it is almost time for flu vaccines and colds.  I hate both with a vengeance and have to become quite diligent and frequent handwashings.  What really elates me right now is the new job I think I have!  It is an at home job where I will be entering in hospital orders.  I am so excited because I won't have to worry about office drama OR OFFICE GERMS!  I'm going to start figuring out what sort of home office I want to create.  I'd love to raid some Pottery Barn office suites! 

Restroom Study Finds Hand Washing on the Decline

-- Robert Preidt

HealthDay FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Americans aren't washing their hands like they used to.

That's the conclusion of a new observational study that found fewer users of public restrooms stopping by the sink on their way out, compared to years past.  The study was released to coincide with National Clean Hands Week by the American Society for Microbiology and The Soap and Detergent Association.

For the study, researchers observed the behavior of almost 6,100 adults at six locations in four cities -- Atlanta, Chicago. New York and San Francisco.  They found that 77 percent of people washed their hands in public restrooms, a 6 percent decline from the 83 percent noted in 2005.  This latest study found that women were still more likely (88 percent) to wash their hands than men (66 percent). In 2005, 90 percent of women and 75 percent of men washed their hands.

In both the 2005 and 2007 studies, researchers observed the hand washing behavior of people at: Turner Field in Atlanta; the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; Grand Central Station and Penn Station in New York City; and the Ferry Terminal Farmers Market in San Francisco. 

In 2007, Chicago had the most conscientious hand washers (81 percent), followed by New York City (79 percent), Atlanta (75 percent) and San Francisco (73 percent)."  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the single most important thing we can all do to keep from getting infectious diseases and spreading them to others is to clean our hands," ASM spokesperson Dr. Judy Daly, director of the microbiology laboratories at the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, said in a prepared statement.  "Many cases of colds, flu and foodborne illness are spread by unclean hands, and these diseases are responsible for billions of dollars each year in health-care expenditures and productivity losses in the United States," Daly noted.   "Worldwide, infectious diseases remain the leading cause of illness and death."

More informationThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about stopping the spread of germs.

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