Experts: Flu shot still a good idea

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Did you find it difficult to find a flu-shot provider?

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5
71%
It took a little time.
1
14%
It was a major problem.
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TexasStooge
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Experts: Flu shot still a good idea

#1 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:02 pm

Experts: Flu shot still a good idea

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / DallasNews.com

Texas is among a swath of states where influenza now is considered widespread, but health officials continue to preach the benefit of getting vaccinated, even at this late date.

Most of the eight states where flu is tracking as widespread are in the Southwest and Midwest, but it’s unclear why the virus grips one part of the country and not others, said Christine Pearson, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It depends on the year," Ms. Pearson said. "Flu is based on so many factors you can’t base it on one factor. It could depend on whether people are getting vaccinated or whether they are staying home when they are sick."

The CDC ranks weekly influenza activity in each state on a scale ranging from "no activity" to "widespread," which means the flu is confirmed in geographic areas containing more than half of the state’s population. The most recent report is for the week ending Jan. 14.

In Texas, four flu-related deaths have been reported, one of them a 14-year-old Dallas girl who had a heart condition. Because doctors and hospitals are not required to track influenza, the statistics may not be complete, said Stacy Davlin, influenza surveillance coordinator for the state.

Health experts said a flu shot still is a good idea, as the season runs through March. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective.

"We are at the beginning of our epidemic curve," said Jacqueline Bell, spokeswoman for Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services. "Cases are on the rise, but it will not be too late if people come in the next week or two to get vaccinated."

Ms. Davlin said Texas health officials have come to expect widespread flu outbreaks in December and January.

"We are pretty much where we expected to be," she said. "We would call it a normal flu season."

Actually, the past few seasons have been far from normal.

The 2003-04 flu outbreak arrived especially early and hit hard. Last year, shots became a hunted commodity when one of the few manufacturing plants failed to meet federal scrutiny and its vaccines were tossed.

This season opened with the shots being limited at first to those at the highest risk, and then distribution of the vaccine for the general population was slower and more cumbersome than expected.

By the end of December, about 80 million doses had been distributed, Ms. Pearson said.

At Parkland Memorial Hospital, doctors mostly are seeing cases of Type A influenza strain, said Dr. Paul Pepe, head of emergency medicine for UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland.

"They have been coming in the last week or so," he said. "This flu season doesn’t seem to be as prevalent as in the past and much milder than in the last few years."

The Type A strain generally has taken hold in Texas, but some cases of Type B strain have been reported in Dallas County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The county administered a total of 20,179 doses last year, compared with 24,062 so far this year, Ms. Bell said. Nearly 2,200 adult doses and 900 of the children’s version still are available from the county.

Symptoms for both strains include severe muscle ache, fever above 100 degrees and a general feeling of lousiness for about a week or more, Dr. Pepe said.

At Children’s Medical Center Dallas, about 75 percent of the flu cases are the Type A strain, which is a good match for the vaccine, but the current inoculation doesn’t necessarily protect against Type B, said Dr. Jane Siegel, an infectious disease expert.

Dr. Siegel recommended that parents offer plenty of fluids and use Tylenol or ibuprofen to treat flu symptoms in children, but not aspirin, which has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare, fatal illness. In children, flu symptoms may include diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems. If left untreated, the viral illness could escalate into bacterial pneumonia, she added.

If the child has a high fever and severe coughing and is not taking fluids, he or she should be seen by a doctor, Siegel said.

In Collin County, health experts are advising people to get inoculated against the flu and are offering free FluMist doses to those between the ages of 5 and 49. Flu shots are being given at a reduced cost.

"Flu activity is widespread throughout the state of Texas, but we have not hit the peak yet," said Jane Glowicz, the county’s nurse epidemiologist.

Image
Centers For Disease Control (CDC)
The flu has been reported as widspread in the red states. CLICK HERE for a larger version of the map.
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#2 Postby gboudx » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:08 pm

I like to live dangerously. I've never gotten a flu shot. My wife has had it and was able to get it from our PCP with no problems.
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#3 Postby Skywatch_NC » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:35 pm

My folks and I get a flu shot every year...as influenza is more dangerous in an adult. We got our's in early October at a drug store.

Eric
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#4 Postby southerngale » Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:24 pm

I've never had a flu shot.
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#5 Postby Skywatch_NC » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:57 pm

southerngale wrote:I've never had a flu shot.


Are you allergic to eggs by chance?
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#6 Postby tornadochaser1986 » Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:36 am

i didnt either this year i really really hate shots
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