Make an N1H1 Plan Now

N1H1 Have you spoken with your doctor (or doctors) yet about the N1H1 virus & vaccination yet? Now is the time instead of waiting until this fall. The most current information & updates on the swine flu can be found at the CDC government web site here.

If you have a chronic illness, many doctors recommend getting the flu shot, the vacinnation for N1H1 & also the pneumonia vaccination.

We posted about this recently on Facebook & found nearly every person who responded had a doctor with a different opinion. Depending on your own health history, your illness & condition, & even your lifestyle (are you at home most of the time or a teacher or nurse?) your doctor will give you his or her opinion.

If you are not happy with it, you may want to ask another doctor on your team. We also recommend checking with the medical association of your illness (like the MS Society) to see if they have an opinion on the matter.

You can read the actual transcripts of conference calls between the CDC & reporters from the New York Times to USA Today.

This is the best source of information to print out & take with you to your doctor to discuss.

Some of the August 21st highlights include:

[Mr. Jay Butler, Director of CDC’s H1N1 Vaccine Task Force] The novel H1N1 continues to disproportionately affect younger persons, so it behaves very differently from seasonal influenza, where we see much of the severe influenza among the elderly. 75% of the hospitalizations are in those aged under 49 & 60% of the deaths are in those underage 49. Most state health officials are reporting local or sporadic influenza activities.
We’re expecting somewhere between 45 million & 52 million doses of vaccine to be available by mid-October. This will be followed by weekly availability of vaccine up to about 195 million doses by the end of the year.
Target groups for vaccination, including those which according to the epidemiology that’s been observed in the United States & indeed globally, focuses on the persons at highest risk of infection & severe disease, this includes pregnant women, children, & young adults aged 6 months through 24 years, as well as persons aged 25 through 64, who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

-ljc

UPDATE 9/3:

When I was talking to the nurse on the phone of my doctor of internal medicine I asked her to ask the doctor her opinion on the vaccination for N1H1. She responded, “I know I am not getting it! No way! I will just wash my h&s more & use the antibacterial soap.” I told her I hadn’t made my decision yet, but I wanted to know my doctor’s opinion, as well as my rheumatologist’s opinion.

But is this good? When the nurses who are the ones recommended to get it refuse it themselves because of personal fears? Doesn’t that put us all more at risk?

The school system sent out flyers stating that all children should be vaccinated.

Today in San Diego 3 more people died of N1H1, ages 22, 28, & 61; all had “other medical conditions.” So, this describes those of us who have compromised immune systems.

Here is my question for you? What will you do differently this fall to try to avoid this new flu? I’m going to comment below with my answers & welcome yours too!