Tag: Swine Flu (H1N1 or Influenza A)

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Public Health Emergency Preparedness Reform

Due to the H1N1 vaccine shortages, the federal government is taking a look at its emergency preparedness plans as it relates to public health emergencies. The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has called for the review:

The government review — expected to be completed in early 2010 — will examine all aspects of public health emergencies, including terrorist attacks and natural disasters. But the catalyst for the call to action was H1N1, said Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, who is leading the review.

Dr. Lurie urged physicians and the public not to expect sweeping reform immediately.

“In four months we can’t fix everything. … But we can take a systems perspective, look at where the most vulnerable points in the system are, and look at the kinds of policies and investments we need to make to address those things,” she said in an interview.

Yet another announcement has been made by the government that it cannot help everyone in emergencies, this time in public health emergencies. Therefore, it’s necessary for you to prepare for those emergencies yourself. Do you have basic medical supplies on hand to aid you and your family if there are disease outbreaks?

Source:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/12/14/prl11214.htm

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Swine Flu Going Away?

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the current “second wave” of Swine Flu is starting to recede in the Bay Area (as expected). Health officials aren’t sure if we’re now out of the woods, or if there will be a “third wave” that comes at some point this winter:

“We’re really in the realm of speculation,” said Dr. Larry Drew, head of the UCSF virology lab, which has monitored cases of swine flu in San Francisco. “What is unclear to me is when will swine flu return, if it returns?”

Government health agencies haven’t been able to keep up with the demand for vaccines – partly because some communities are recommending that nearly everyone should get the shot. There are new concerns that the virus could mutate again (and wouldn’t that make the vaccines that have already been administered a moot point?) Not to mention, regular flu season is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, adding fuel to the fire.

Rather than fret about whether to get a shot or not get one, it’s a better idea to be prepared to bunker down in the event of a flu pandemic. Are you ready to stay put in your home, in the event of a flu pandemic emergency? It’s easy to get started. Store enough drinking water and food to last several days. To learn more, visit the preparedness articles section here at 1800prepare.com.

Source:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/12/04/MNN11AULI6.DTL

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Travel Preparedness and Swine Flu

The last thing you want to worry about while you travel during the holiday season is getting swine flu. The risk of getting ill due to close contact with others in planes, on ships and on trains increases during the winter season, which is flu season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that since April 2009, H1N1 has killed at least 4,000 people and 22 million others got sick from the flu.

The CDC is concerned about the swine flu this season, although there has been a drop in numbers recently. A spokesperson stated that the numbers “are still very high nation-wide compared to what is expected for this time of year.”

Before you plan your travel, find out if the airlines, rental car company or passenger train company will allow you to change your travel dates and what fees are associated with making those changes if you get sick.

If traveling by ship, car or train, take your car survival kit with you and make sure it’s stocked with a couple of N95 masks, extra water and food, and basic first aid supplies. You won’t have much flexibility if traveling by plane, because of the restrictions on liquids and other fluids. However, you can take your mask on board with you. Also, you can pack your survival kit with your checked bags, but be sure to remove all flammables, such as matches and liquid candles.

Source:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34244436/ns/travel-tips/

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Humor Swine Flu (H1N1 or Influenza A)

The Lighter Side of H1N1

With all the serious discussion about H1N1 Swine Flu, sometimes it’s just nice to see a lighter side to the topic!

Check out this H1N1 Halloween Pumpkin from Chris Streeter on Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreeter/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
 
A little bit of comedy to the more serious topic of the H1N1 Swine Flu
A lighter side to the usually more serious topic of the H1N1 Swine Flu
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Swine Flu (H1N1 or Influenza A)

Swine Flu Vaccine Shortage has Congress Fuming!

As reported in a recent ABC News Story, Congress is investigating the current shortage in swine flu vaccine availability and they’re not pleased to say the least!

Specifically, members of Congress are upset at Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius who promised back in September:

“We are confident that vaccine is going to be far more widely available. There is enough vaccine and will be to vaccinate every American who wants to be vaccinated and we are pushing it out as quickly as we can.”

That statement is particularly upsetting to pregnant women and young children across the country that waited several hours for a swine flu vaccine, and then being told there was none available for them. To add to the confusion was the complexity added by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when they created two lists of people who would receive the vaccine first, which included a “high-priority” and “most-at-risk” group).

While starting off slow, the swine flu is now running rampant throughout the United States, as ABC Reports… ‘According to figures released by the CDC last week, since April an estimated 22 million people in the U.S. have become ill from the H1N1 virus, 98,000 people have been hospitalized, and 3,900 people have died, including 540 children.’

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Seasonal Flu Swine Flu (H1N1 or Influenza A) Technology

Google Cures the Flu, Well Almost…

Well Google can’t exactly cure the flu (yet!), but it can get you a lot closer to a favorable outcome. They recently launched the very useful Flu Shot Finder application that is integrated with Google Maps.

As its name suggests, the Flu Shot Finder helps you identify local places where you can get a flu shot.

One of the best features is that it shows you what type of flu shot is available at each individual location:

  • seasonal flu shot
  • H1N1 (swine) flu shot
  • both types of flu shots

Another great feature is that they show which locations are “Temporarily Out of Stock”.

However, even if a location looks like it’s not out of stock, it’s best to call ahead of time to determine hours and availability. In fact, it’s also worth calling the locations that are out of stock,  since there’s no guarantee the information being provided to Google is real-time and a location may have restocked their supply of flu shots already.