Adeze
Ojukwu
New
Brunswick, NJ
adezeo@yahoo.com
Friday, December 12, 2003
Influenza, a viral.
infection has continued to spread like wild-fire in the United States
of America (USA) despite government’s efforts to contain the disease.
In a briefing last Tuesday, Dr Julie Louise Gerberding of the Center
for Disease Control (CDC), said ‘ some areas of the country are
particularly hard-hit with influenza and it's been a very difficult
and frightening thing for many people, particularly in the context of
reports of vaccine shortages. We also know that many children have
been affected. Some children and adults have already died this year,
and that is of course something that we are very sad.’
She said the ‘influenza typically kills more than
36,000 Americans each year, and some of those are children, some of
those are seniors. It can affect people of all ages. And it's also
important to recognize that, although there are people who suffer the
severe consequences from influenza, most people who get influenza will
have that typical mild illness. It will be annoying; they might miss a
day of school or a day at work, but they will recover without
incident. And so we're hoping that most of the people affected this
year will fall into that category. ‘
‘We also recognize that the heaviest-hit states
were mostly in the west, and that we are waiting to see whether or not
some of the eastern states with large populations will see more
widespread infection. So the bottom line is that we have not peaked
the flu season this year. We will expect more cases of flu. And we are
watching very carefully to see where it's progressing and where the
most cases are evolving so that steps can be taken to assure access to
care, hospitalization, and so on and so forth,’ noted Dr Gerberding.
The main concern that we're facing at CDC right
now is, of course, the gap between the demand for flu vaccine in the
context of the outbreak and the supply of the influenza vaccine. I'm
going to say more about supply and demand and how those pan out in flu
season, but I also wanted to address where we are right now with
what's happened this year.
This year, manufacturers created about 83 million
doses of influenza vaccine. About 4 to 5 million doses were in the
formulation of FluMist, which is for healthy people between the ages
of 5 and 49. Another 4 or 5 million doses was a pediatric formulation
for children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months. Seventy-three
million doses were the inactivated trivalent vaccine for adult
immunization. That vaccine is something that has largely been
distributed at this point in time. The manufacturers have very few
doses of the killed virus.
In addition, state and local health agencies are
working on assessing the availability of vaccine in their
jurisdictions and developing plan for redistribution, which we, of
course, are helping to assist with. We have a number of data inputs
and will be updating you with this information as we go forward, about
the localized availability of vaccine.
Meanwhile the agency is working with the state
health association, local and county health departments, the
American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians,
American Association of Health Plans, managed care organizations, and
several other groups who are serving practitioners, serving hospitals,
serving member facilities trying to ascertain where there is vaccine
for those who need it. Death toll from the influenza which hit the
country with the onset of winter, has continued to increase with the
death of an 18 year old college student. And there are fears that
there may be more casualties with reported shortages of the vaccine.
Lisa a middle-aged mother of three has spent
close to $500 on drugs for her children down with fever and severe
coughing. ‘ I have been in and out of hospital while the entire family
has suffered sleepless nights since last Friday when the first snow
storm hit New Jersey and other Northern states. The traumatized
computer analyst blamed it on winter which comes with extreme cold
thus leading to diverse respiratory infections especially influenza
otherwise called flu.
The CDC
described influenza, as a contagious disease that is caused by the
influenza virus which attacks the respiratory tract in humans nose,
throat, and lungs. The flu is different from a cold because it is not
treatable by antibiotics. Influenza usually comes on suddenly and may
include these symptoms:
The apex health agency noted
that most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks,
but warned that some people will develop life-threatening
complications such as pneumonia as a result of the flu.’ Millions of
people in the US — about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents — will get
influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the
United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year have to be
admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the
flu even healthy people, and serious problems from influenza can
happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age
with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more
likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and
sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu.
The flu can make chronic
health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience
asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic
congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is
triggered by the flu.’ Flu shots are often available in hospitals and
clinics but certain categories of individuals are advised not take the
vaccine and they include these:
• People who are have a severe allergy to hens'
eggs
• People who have had a severe reaction to a flu
vaccine in the past
• People who previously developed
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
in the 6 weeks after getting a flu shot
The CDC release stressed that ‘ pregnancy can
increase the risk for complications from the flu, and pregnant women
are more likely to be hospitalized from complications of the flu than
non-pregnant women of the same age. In previous worldwide outbreaks
of the flu (pandemics of 1918-19 and 1957-58), deaths among pregnant
women were associated with the flu. Pregnancy can change the immune
system in the mother, as well as affect her cardiovascular system
(heart and lung function). These changes may place pregnant women at
increased risk for complications from the flu’
‘Because the flu shot is made from inactivated
viruses the viruses are killed, many experts consider flu shots safe
during any stage of pregnancy. However, since miscarriages
(spontaneous abortion) most often occur in the first trimester of
pregnancy, experts have traditionally not given a flu shot during the
first trimester to avoid a coincidental association with miscarriage.’
‘Women who will be beyond the first 3 months of
pregnancy during the flu season should get a flu shot. Pregnant women
who have medical problems that increase their risk for complications
from the flu should get a flu shot before the flu season, no matter
their stage of pregnancy. Same for lactating mothers. The nasal flu
mist vaccine (LAIV) is not approved for use in pregnant women and
children under 5 years. Because children aged 6-23 months are at
substantially increased risk for influenza-related hospitalizations,
vaccination of all children in this age group is encouraged when
feasible. The flu shot is approved for use in children 6 months of age
and older.’
The risk of getting the flu during travel depends
on the time of year and where you are going. In the tropics, the flu
can occur any time of year. In the Southern Hemisphere, most flu
activity is from April through September, which is the winter period
in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern and Southern hemispheres,
travelers also can get the flu during the summer, especially when
traveling as part of large tourist groups that include persons from
areas of the world where the flu is active.
In the
Northern hemisphere, winter is the time for flu. In the US, the flu
season can range from November through March, and even past March in
some years. During the past 21 flu seasons, months with the heaviest
flu activity peak months occurred in December in 4 years, January in 5
years, February in 9 years, and March in 3 years.
The flu
is spread, or transmitted, when a person who has the flu coughs,
sneezes, or speaks and sends flu virus into the air, and other people
inhale the virus. The virus enters the nose, throat, or lungs of a
person and begins to multiply, causing symptoms of influenza.
Influenza may, less often, be spread when a person touches a surface
that has flu viruses on it – a door handle, for instance – and then
touches his or her nose or mouth.
A person
can spread the flu starting one day before he or she feels sick.
Adults can continue to pass the flu virus to others for another three
to seven days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for
longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the
virus enters the body. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus
but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons can still spread
the virus to others.
‘Never
give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms – and
particularly fever – without first speaking to a physician. Giving
aspirin to children and teenagers who have influenza can cause a rare
but serious illness called Reye syndrome. Children or teenagers with
the flu should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and take
medicines that contain no aspirin to relieve symptoms.’
Many
people use the term "stomach flu" to describe illnesses with nausea,
vomiting, or diarrhoea. These symptoms can be caused by many different
viruses, bacteria, or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhoea, and
being nauseous or "sick to your stomach" can sometimes be related to
the flu – particularly in children – these problems are rarely the
main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a
stomach or intestinal disease. |