It's already August. This year's influenza vaccine will be available

[MineralMan]

before too long now. Coming along with that vaccine will be a horde of anti-vaccination posts on this and other internet forum. This year's vaccine will include H1N1 in its mix, and only one shot will be needed, so things should be a lot simpler this year.

I encourage all DUers to get their flu shot early, to protect against the possibility that the H1N1 flu will return this fall with a vengeance, and to protect against the other influenza viruses that a projected to be part of this year's risk.

Protect yourself and your family, along with your neighbors and co-workers by preventing yourself from contracting the flu. The more who are vaccinated, the less likely we will have a high number of hospitalizations and deaths.

It's easy to forget the misery that the H1N1 flu caused for so many in the past year. Some people think it wasn't very bad. They're wrong. Here are the final April, 2009 - April, 2010 statistics from the CDC. Read these carefully and you'll understand how important this could be to you and those you know:

End of Season Estimates from April 2009 - April 10, 2010

CDC estimates that between 43 million and 89 million cases of 2009 H1N1 occurred between April 2009 and April 10, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 61 million people infected with 2009 H1N1.

CDC estimates that between about 195,000 and 403,000 H1N1-related hospitalizations occurred between April 2009 and April 10, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 274,000 2009 H1N1-related hospitalizations.

CDC estimates that between about 8,870 and 18,300 2009 H1N1-related deaths occurred between April 2009 and April 10, 2010. The mid-level in this range is about 12,470 2009 H1N1-related deaths.

Please don't listen to the "alternative health" anti-vaccination "experts." Most have no actual information, but are just repeating things they've read on web sites that exist to sell "alternative" remedies.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[hlthe2b]

1. You are right, of course... but expect an onslaught...

The fact that the pandemic did not "rain death and destruction upon all on the earth," is for some evidence that there is no threat or even that there was no pandemic. Pandemic only implies a newly emerged strain that has the potential to rapidly spread throughout the globe and that is exactly what happened in 2009-2010. All influenza carries threat of morbidity and mortality--even the usual seasonal varieties. Similarly some pandemics have been worse than others. Preparedness and prevention still remains important in either instance.

[MineralMan]

3. See the WHO map on the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere.

H1N1 is active in Mexico right now, and in Africa and Asia, among other places. If I remember correctly, it was the outbreak in Mexico that triggered all the concern.

The CDC has not announced when vaccine will be available, but has already approved the vaccine from several manufacturers. Typically, it becomes available sometime in September.

[hlthe2b]

6. Preaching to the choir, my friend...

but I hope others are "listening."

[MineralMan]

2. Here's a WHO map showing current influenza activity worldwide.

Please note that the flu season occurs during the Winter months primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, and that's the incubator for our upcoming flu season.



For the latest reports on the Southern Hemisphere flu, go to:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2010_08_06/en/index.html

Sorry about the size of the image.

[madrchsod]

4. i did`t last year but this year i will

last year was the first year in a long time i did`t get a flu shot .i`m not going to make that mistake again

[customerserviceguy]

5. Thanks for the reminder

I got both the seasonal and the H1N1 vaccines last year, and I've never taken a sick day at the job I started nearly two years ago. Of course, the fact that I get paid for my unused sick leave is probably a factor, but not being truly ill with the flu is the main reason!

Thanks also for the remarks about the anti-vaccine crowd, they're back every year. I even had some nutball customer last week who insisted that computer-operated devices exacerbate her son's autism. I related this story to a co-worker with an autistic son, and while she's heard some doozy stories out there, this one surprised her!

[HuckleB]

7. K & R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[xchrom]

8. Recommend - I get all my flu vacs every year. Nt

[Dorian Gray]

9. I'm pregnant

so I'm definitely getting it this year. Last year was the first time I had ever gotten it, and it gave me peace of mind.

I do have a question, though. Are there any potential problems in getting it if you already had the H1N1 vaccine last year?

[MineralMan]

10. Nope. No problem.You can get it every year, and I highly recommend

that everyone does.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

11. As someone who contracted H1N1 last year

I HIGHLY recommend getting the vaccine. The H1N1 flu was the absolute worst illness I've ever experienced. I missed a lot of work and felt weak and unwell for several weeks after.

[HuckleB]

12. Kick.

[Jennicut]

13. I always get one, being a diabetic. Blood sugar issues and the flu are not good together.

It can cause it to go very high when you are that sick or it can go real low if you took insulin and then can't keep anything down. Stomach virus did that to me last year. I almost thought about going to the hospital.

[HuckleB]

14. The (Not So) Changing Face of Anti-Vax

http://layscience.net/node/1106

"...

The three oft-repeated errors in ‘The Quest’ (an anti-vax magazine from the 1920s) are argument from authority (there appear to have been plenty of anti-vax doctors willing to write), confusion of correlation with causation and conspiracy theories citing vested interests who were allegedly pushing vaccines for financial gains.

Plus ca change, huh?

..."