Swine Flu Updates

One Shot Does It All!

Preliminary tests of an H1N1 swine flu vaccine conducted in Australia and Britain show that a single dose creates enough antibodies to protect against the virus within about 10 days.  Thus, one dose appears to offer protection against the virulent disease.

The H1N1 swine flu has already started to spread this fall in the United States and is infecting as many people now as would be expected in the peak of the flu season, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A single dose produced significant antibodies in 96% of adults on which it was tested.

The researching agency in Australia reported that they were setting aside 36 million dosages for distribution in the U.S. 

Also reported was that the regular "seasonal flu" shot was ineffective at treating the H1N1 ("Swine") flu; thus, people will need both vaccines in order to be fully protected against both strains of flu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people who should get a seasonal flu shot include:

• Adults 50 and older.
• All children age 6 months to 18 years.
• Pregnant women.
• People with chronic health problems like asthma, heart disease or a weakened immune system.
• Health care workers.
• Caregivers of people at high-risk, including babies younger than 6 months of age.

Those first in line for swine flu shots should be:

• Pregnant women.
• Children and young people between 6 months through 24 years of age.
• Health-care workers.
• Younger and middle-aged adults with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems.

The Swine Flu Burrows Deep Into the Lungs.

New research confirms previous reports that the H1N1 swine flu goes deeper into the lungs than ordinary seasonal flu, possibly explaining why it's often more severe in some people.

This strain of the flu has genetic differences which promote its attachment to tissues deep in the lungs, whereas typical flu attaches in the upper airways, nose, and throat.   However, although the swine flu binds to more cells in the lungs, it binds weakly, which may be why it responds favorably to one dosage of the vaccine.  

Researchers are naturally concerned though, that if this virus mutates, that it may become more resilient in the future, making vaccines less effective. 

Don't Overlook Seasonal Flu.

Swine flu may be grabbing all the headlines, but seasonal flu poses a real threat this fall, too.  And the time to act is now, by getting a seasonal flu shot.  Then follow it up with an H1N1 swine flu vaccine when the first  shipments arrive in mid-October.

This is the recommendation from US health officials, who noted that seasonal flu puts more than 200,000 Americans in the hospital each year and causes an estimated 36,000 deaths.  About 116 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine will be on hand this year, according to a Dept. of Health & Human Services agent. The vaccine is available now, and more doses will arrive in the coming weeks.

Seasonal flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 50 and older; for children between 6 months and 18 years of age; for people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, heart or lung disease; for people with compromised immune systems, such as those on chemotherapy, and for pregnant women. 

In addition to flu shots, people 65 and older and anyone over 2 years of age with a chronic illness should also get vaccinated against pneumococcal disease, which can lead to severe illness, including bacterial pneumonia, bloodstream infection and meningitis.

Health-care workers should be vaccinated for both seasonal flu and swine flu to protect themselves and the people they care for.