H1N1 Has Arrived and the Sky Has NOT Fallen

As most of you are aware, Swine Flu a.k.a. H1N1 has arrived in our community of Anderson. First cases were sporadic and occurred in July. As is the cases with any Flu outbreak, the early cases were associated with travel. We now have entered phase two when the disease is spread locally within the community. This was completely expected and, despite strong efforts at containment and prevention, was inevitable. We then counted the days until school started knowing placing that many children in a closed environment would only serve to enhance the spread as it does with any Flu outbreak. So the news that it has been documented in our schools comes as no surprise.

As we continue to monitor the scope of the disease caused by H1N1 it is clear that the severity of the disease and the rate of complications from this strain does not differ from any other Flu outbreak. The concern is primarily directed at the shear number of potential cases that could occur due to lack of immunity particularly in the younger children. Clearly this is NOT some Super Bug that by itself causes severe disease. It is simply just another flu strain that has not been around for quite some time leaving few with either natural protection from exposure or protection from recent flu vaccines. However there is concern without a vaccine and widespread susceptibility to this strain, 40-50% of the US population could contract the disease. If you take the usual incidence of complications from influenza and multiply it by that number then you have the potential to severely strain the capacity of our health care system to care for those patients.

The key to our focus now is containment. The vaccine is on the horizon and is projected to be available mid October though we literally won't know when until they are shipping it to us. It is literally a race to contain and then vaccinate. DHEC and the CDC have issued excellent information on prevention and avoidance. Hand sanitizers, covering coughs, keeping hands away from the face, are but a few but the most important is staying home when sick with fever and influenza type symptoms. The school nurses are well versed in screening and recommending who stays and who is sent home.

Always be alert as you would with any flu bug the signs of complications and when medical attention is necessary. Those at high risk for complications are those children less then 5 years of age or anyone with underlying chronic medical conditions such as asthma , heart problems, diabetes, etc. It doesn't mean though that complications can't arise in other children. Signs of complications are prolonged fever greater then 4 days, difficulty breathing, persistent vomiting, recurrence of fever after a day without fever, severe headache, or seizure. This list is not all inclusive and there is no substitute for being cautious of any unexplained concerns that should prompt you to seek the advise of a medical professional. Treatment with antiviral medications are reserved for severe disease, hospitalized patients, those mentioned above considered high risk, as well as those that may expose high risk individuals to the disease.

Once the vaccine is available, the key shifts to IMMUNIZATION! I can not emphasize enough the importance of every child 6 months of age and older being properly immunized with BOTH this years Seasonal Flu Vaccine as well as the soon to be released H1N1 vaccine. Planning for the making of Seasonal Flu vaccine starts in December of the year previous to the season you are immunizing for. As it is every year, the common strains that exist that year are examined and calculated decisions are made on what strains will predominate next years flu season. The manufacturing of the vaccine begins in February. The H1N1 strain did not emerge in Mexico until April of 09. It was impossible at that time to go back and redesign the seasonal vaccine to include H1N1. Therefore, it was necessary to produce a second flu shot to cover for the new strain. Realize that this is NOT A NEW VACCINE! It is just another flu shot. If you are comfortable with the usual seasonal flu shot and there is no reason not to be, then you should feel equally comfortable with the H1N1 vaccine. The technology is the same as is the production process.

Bottom line is practice prevention and get IMMUNIZED!