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The panic has subsided, the scary headlines are gone.  If you’ve wanted the flu vaccine you probably received it by now.  Even though the media coverage has disappeared, the swine flu is still out there, and it’s still killing Americans. 

Here are the facts:

The swine flu has already infected over 50 million Americans, killing over 10,000. 

H1N1 has infected over 15% of the total population of the United States since April.

250,000 Americans have been hospitalized from H1N1

7,500 adults ages 18 to 64 have died of H1N1

1,000 children under age 18 have died of H1N1

This latest assessment of the H1N1 epidemic gives the most accurate, up to date numbers as provided by the government.

Another surprising statistic:  in a typical year, 95% of overall deaths are in people 65 and older.  So far this year, 95% of deaths have been in people younger than age 95.

Although it appears as though the swine flu is waning (just 25 states report widespread activity down from 48 states one month ago) the virus remains highly infectious and could come back even stronger.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is worried that since the media coverage has subsided, the general public will not make hygiene a priority.  The CDC wants to make it clear that the best way to prevent the spread of the flu virus is to wash your hands often, avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes and get the flu vaccine as soon as possible. 

SOURCE:  USA Today 12.11.2009

Santa has a tough job.  He sees thousands of children a day, some happy, some scared, some cry, some sneeze, some throw up and some even pee on poor Santa.  This year Santa’s job is even more hazardous.  The swine flu outbreak has Santa asking for a flu shot and hand sanitizer for Christmas.

Lately news reports have suggested that getting the shot has been difficult for mall Santas in most states. That’s because the vaccine supply is still limited and Santas are not officially in the priority high risk group as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends that the H1N1 vaccine be given to pregnant women, people who care for children younger than 6 months of age, people who work in healthcare and emergency medical services, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people who are at a higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Arleen Porcell-Pharr, a public affairs specialist for the CDC says “we understand that workers who are in close contact with children, such as teachers and Santas, may be concerned about getting infected with the H1N1 virus, and thus would like to be considered in the priority groups for vaccination, however, our recommendations on who should first get vaccinated are based on scientific evidence on who is being most affected by the disease”.

Santas are being told to take other precautions if they cannot get the vaccination. For instance, you may notice Santa will not be wearing his traditional white gloves. The reasoning behind that is that it makes it easier for Santas to apply hand sanitizer.

Malls are requiring hand sanitizing stations wherever Santa sets up shop and are requiring that they dry clean their Santa suits frequently.  They hope to not only protect Santa, but the thousands of people that will be shopping this holiday season.

Other precautions Santas are making to avoid the flu are taking four extra breaks per work day allowing for a thorough cleaning of the Santa station.  Santas are being told to change their shirts often throughout the day, sanitize their hands after each child and after every three children they are being told to wipe down their face with a moist towel.  In addition, Santas are hoping that sick children will stay at home and wait until they feel better to make their visit to the mall.

Despite the swine flu concerns, everyone expects that Santa will still be Santa this year, and bring a little bit of love and joy to children.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/news/economy/santa_claus_swine_flu_vaccine/index.html

Since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus, it seems as though hand sanitizer is everywhere.  Hand sanitizer is now displayed in schools, shopping malls, airports, offices and restaurants.  Health officials have encouraged the public to wash their hands often to help combat the swine flu, but since soap and water may not be readily available, hand sanitizer has been a popular and convenient replacement to help fight germs and bacteria and stop the spread of the flu.  It’s important to know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that washing your hands is still the number one way to combat the flu virus, but hand sanitizer comes in second.

Does it really protect from viruses? What is the best way to use it?  How does hand sanitizer work to stop the spread of germs?

When it comes to choosing a hand sanitizer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended sanitizers that have a high content of alcohol. The optimum proportion is 60 to 95 percent alcohol, according to major health studies. The active ingredient in hand sanitizer, primarily alcohol, disrupts the coating of virus and bacteria particles. By damaging the outside of the particle, the virus becomes deactivated, says Andrew Pekosz, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. The CDC also states that according to some estimates, up to 80 percent of all infections get spread by hands.

Hand sanitizer works on contact, meaning it’s only effective on the parts of your hands that it touches.  Basically if you miss a spot between your fingers, there could still be viruses or bacteria in the spots you missed, said Dr. Lisa Bernstein, an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine. “You have to cover whole surface of hands and allow it to dry,” she said.

The process of putting sanitizer on your hands makes it work against these viruses almost immediately. However, it does not protect you against whatever you might touch next. During a regular workday, it is recommended that you use hand sanitizer three to five times randomly, in addition to washing your hands whenever soap and water are available.  If you’re sneezing or coughing, you should use sanitizer more frequently.

Again, scrubbing your hands with soap and water, which the CDC recommends for 15 to 20 seconds, is better than using hand sanitizer. That’s because washing physically actually removes the virus particles, instead of just deactivating them.

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/27/hand.sanitizer.basics/index.html

A surprising announcement regarding the swine flu.  On Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a decrease in H1N1 flu activity nationwide.

The CDC announced that 43 states now have widespread flu activity, compared with 46 states last week and 48 states at the beginning of November.  Despite this decrease, health officials remind us that the occurrence of the flu is still much greater than this time last year, and flu season doesn’t usually begin until December. 

In addition to this announcement, the CDC stated that parts of the country are seeing a small decline in flu cases. Other areas, including Hawaii and Maine, have actually seen an increase in swine flu.

Despite the overall decrease in flu cases, the CDC also said that there have been 21 more deaths from H1N1 in children just in the last seven days. This number is in addition to last week’s report that the CDC estimated 540 children had died from complications of this flu virus so far.

In an effort to limit further spread of the virus as millions of Americans begin traveling for the holidays, the CDC has launched a public awareness campaign.  The campaign encourages the use of basic precautions, reminding us to only travel when we feel well, to wash our hands often, cover our coughs and sneezes and of course to vaccinated.

According to the CDC, more people will be able to get vaccinated because more vaccine continues to be available. The United States have been able to order a total of 54 million doses of H1N1 vaccine so far, which includes 11 million doses more than last week.

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/20/h1n1.cdc.report/index.html

Take these precautions at the gym to avoid H1N1 and other dangerous viruses!

Viruses and bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments and are therefore extremely prevalent in most gyms. Think about those dumbbells, the pin in the weight stack and the buttons on the treadmill!  By taking a few simple precautionary measures, you can visit your gym and avoid germs while you exercise and improve your overall health.

Step One: Wash your hands before and after using exercise equipment to rid your hands of germs.  A lot of gyms are now providing hand sanitizer throughout their facilities, use the sanitizer often!

Step Two: Spray disinfectant or use the antibacterial wipes provided by the gym on any exercise equipment you use both before and after each exercise.

Step Three: Bring two different-colored towels with you to the gym. Wipe your own sweat with one towel and use the second towel to wipe down the surface of the exercise equipment you want to use. This will remove any sweat the previous user left on the equipment, and since you’re using two different towels, you won’t expose yourself to others’ germs.  Most gyms offer antibacterial wipes that have an alcohol base that you can also use to wipe down machines before and after use.

Step Four: Wear flip-flops when walking in the shower, sauna and locker rooms so you can avoid germs left on moist floors.

Step Five: Place a towel on the sauna seat before sitting down to avoid contact with the surface, which may contain fungi.  Humidity in saunas promote the growth of bacteria!

Step Six: Fill up a water bottle at home and bring it with you to the gym. Avoid putting your mouth or your empty water bottle anywhere near a gym water fountain or water cooler. Germs pass easily from a water bottle to the fountain tap and back to another bottle if people hold their bottles against the tap when filling them.  If you must use the water fountain at the gym, let the water run for a second to flush out any germs and be careful so that your lips do not touch any part of the fountain. Then make sure that you wash or sanitize your hands immediately after as bacteria may be lurking on the button used to activate the water fountain.

Step Seven: Shower immediately after you finish exercising. Showering allows you to avoid getting sick from the germs you were exposed to while working out.

Step Eight: Wear gloves when working out.  Weight lifting gloves can save your skin from blisters, calluses and germs!

Step Nine: Keep your gym bag clean.  The outside of your bag has been on the floor, the locker room and may have even bumped into someone sweaty.  The inside of your bag is moist and a breeding ground for bacteria, make sure to clean it out often.

Step Ten: Report to the management if you see any unsanitary conditions or unclean areas.  You should even report if other people at the gym aren’t cleaning up after themselves.

Bonus Tip!  Don’t touch your face with your hands!  Contact with your nose, mouth and eyes allow germs to enter your system!

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2096456_avoid-germs-gym.html http://www.ehow.com/how_4478145_avoid-getting-sick-gym-workouts.html

Children are the most ‘at risk’ group concerning illness.  The current state of national emergency with H1N1 has brought attention to some of the other preventable diseases and illnesses.  Here is what you can do to protect your child’s health by taking the proper steps to prevent illness with immunizations.

Immunizations start right after birth, and many are given throughout a baby’s first 23 months. Booster shots (the later doses of any vaccines that need to be repeated over time) occur throughout life.  Before beginning any type of immunization schedule, you should always talk with your pediatrician about possible side effects and pre existing conditions that your child may to help prevent complications of the shots.  You may also want to set up an immunization schedule with your doctor as timing of each shot is crucial to prevention. 

Immunizations shots are given to children to prevent the following illnesses:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Chickenpox
• Rotavirus
• Bacterial Meningitis
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis A
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Haemophilus influenzae Type b disease  (HIB disease)
• Pneumococcal disease and Flu (influenza)

Please review the attached recommended Immunization Schedule approved by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/clinical/immunization/childsched.Par.0001.File.tmp/09childsched.pdf

Fewer immunizations are needed after age 6 although older children and teens need shots too (such as those for bacterial meningitis and for tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough). Some shots, such as Tetanus, are also given during adulthood.

It is important to keep good records including immunizations received and a list of any reactions to the vaccines, as your child may need them later for acceptance to schools and for travel purposes.  

What about negative side effects?  The CDC is aware that there are myths and misinformation about vaccine safety abound that can confuse parents who are trying to make sound decisions about their children’s healthcare.  While some of the sickness or reactions that follow vaccination may be caused by the vaccine, many are unrelated events that occur by coincidence after vaccination. Therefore, the scientific research that attempts to distinguish true vaccine adverse events from unrelated, chance occurrences is important.  The CDC is responsible for ongoing research, noting all cases of adverse reactions and complications.  Overall the benefits clearly outway the negative side effects and vaccinations are promoted and encouraged by the CDC. 

 http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/

 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/clinical/immunizationres/child.html

 http://www.babycenter.com/shots