She added that breathing trouble, fever that lasts more than four days, a blue tinge to the skin, lethargy or irritability, and seizures are signs that medical attention is needed. "

Ya think?

Let's all go to the mall!

Close the borders!

Oh, my bad. I thought this was another Hepatitis thread ;-)

(bad joke for the day)

I just administered final exams last week to several classes of college students.

They coughed, wheezed, sneezed, wiped their noses on their arms and then turned in their exams.

I look at the pile of blue books on my sideboard and can't quite raise the courage to touch them yet.

"The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has activated its emergency operations centre to deal with a widespread flu outbreak that is being called an epidemic, even though it does not technically meet that definition."


I wonder if now FEMA will activate it's emergency powers whenever it feels like it, even if it is not "technically" an emergency ?

"The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has activated its emergency operations centre to deal with a widespread flu outbreak that is being called an epidemic, even though it does not technically meet that definition."


I wonder if now FEMA will activate it's emergency powers whenever it feels like it, even if it is not "technically" an emergency ?

INFLUENZA A UPDATE 2003 – USA
*****************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases

[1] Date: Fri 19 Dec 2003
From: ProMED-mail
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003; 52(Dispatch): 1-2 Fri 19 Dec [edited]

United States: influenza-associated deaths among children aged <18 Years, 2003/2004 influenza season -- update
------------------------------------------
Since October 2003, 42 influenza-associated deaths among children aged <18 years have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All patients had influenza virus infection detected by rapid antigen testing or other laboratory testing methods. This report describes preliminary findings, as of 17 Dec 2003. To improve surveillance, CDC has requested that all influenza-associated deaths of children aged <18 years be reported to CDC through state health departments.

Among the 42 reported deaths, 20 (48 per cent) patients were male, and 21 (50 per cent) were female; the sex of one patient was not reported. 23 (55 per cent) of the children were aged <5 years, and 13 (31 per cent) were aged 6 to 23 months. The median age was 4 years (range: 9 weeks to 17 years). Seventeen (40 per cent) of the children had underlying chronic medical conditions [tabulated in the original text]; the previous medical status for 4 (10 per cent) children was unknown. Among the 21 patients who had no underlying chronic medical condition, 5 had invasive bacterial co-infections, including 3 caused by methicillin resistant _Staphylococcus aureus_ (MRSA), one by _Streptococcus pneumoniae_, and one by Group A streptococcus. 3 children with underlying chronic medical conditions had invasive bacterial co-infections -- one each with MRSA, _Streptococcus pneumoniae_, and _Neisseria menigitidis_.

Influenza vaccination status was available for only 7 patients; 5 (aged 1 year, 14 months, 20 months, 3 years, and 8 years) were not vaccinated; 2 (aged 21 months and 5 years) received 1 dose of influenza vaccine; however, their previous vaccination history was unknown. Influenza A viruses were isolated from 11 (26 per cent) patients.

(Reported by: State and local health departments. Influenza Response Team, J Wright, DVM, A Likos, MD, N Bhat, MD, EIS officers, CDC.)

MMWR editorial note
-------------------
Influenza-associated deaths are not reportable conditions in the United States, and the average annual number of such deaths is unknown. However, cases of sudden death associated with influenza in previously healthy children in the United States have been reported (1; CDC, unpublished data, 2003). During 1990 to 1999, about 92 influenza-associated respiratory and circulatory deaths were estimated to have occurred annually among children aged <5 years (2). However, this estimate was based on mathematical modeling and not on counting fatalities associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection.

References
----------
(1) CDC. Severe morbidity and mortality associated with influenza in children and young adults --Michigan, 2003. MMWR 2003; 52: 837-40.
(2) Thompson W, Shay D, Weintraub E, et al. Mortality associated with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in the United States. JAMA 2003; 289: 179-86.

[This report illustrates the need for denominator data. Neither it nor the following (much abbreviated) report offers estimates of the total numbers of cases, the incidence, or an age breakdown. - Mod.SH]

******
[2]
Date: Thu 18 Dec 2003
From: ProMED-mail
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003; 52(50); 1232-4 Fri 19 Dec [edited]

United States: influenza activity update: 7 to 13 Dec 2003
----------------------------------------------------------
Influenza activity in the United States continued to increase during the period 7 to 13 Dec 2003, The proportion of patient visits to sentinel providers for influenza-like illness (ILI) overall was 7.4 per cent, which is above the national baseline of 2.5 per cent.

-- ProMED-mail

Time to break out the duct tape and plastic that I ran out and bought on instructions from Tom Ridge.

microwave them

...even if it is not "technically" an emergency ?

It's a penumbra of an emergency.

One of the two children who died here in NC last week had been vaccinated.

If I understand correctly, the vaccine is for a different strain than the one everyone is getting.

If that's true, then this hysterical vaccination frenzy is just a way for the government to use up old stock.

You're correct that the vaccine has a different strain. However, my understanding is that, should you get the 'epidemic' strain, you will have some protection and won't get as sick as you would without it.

The child of one of my colleagues was hospitalized w/the flu and has just recently been released. It was heartbreaking to think that this little 3 yr old angel who had been running around my place this summer, was so sick he had to be hospitalized. He is still not 100%.

In an effort to curb further spread of the flu, Gerberding urged people to stay away from hospital emergency rooms.

Ain't that the truth!

People who are sick with the flu should stay home and not spread it unneccessarily to others, which heading to the ER at the sign of the first sniffles does.

Sick people also shouldn't go to work, school, mall or visit other people. They are walking hazards, flu-bombs.

Too many people think it's their right to go about their normal business, to the sad, inconsiderate - and sometimes fatal - detriment of other, innocent people.

Contagious, sick people wandering around out in public without a "good" excuse should be fined. That "good" excuse should only be a life-threatening emergency.

By the way, more people are killed in America by flu every year than by firearms.

I don't see any rush by politicians to arrest people from willy-nilly carrying around the flu, which is more dangerous. Do you?

I like the way you talk:)

I have a brother who has been under the weather for two weeks. He firmly believes he has either West Nile, SARS or this strain of the flu. Or a combination of the above.

He's half joking and half not and taking all kinds of OTC meds. I forget the name for this syndrom. He was always was a little kooky though

"I forget the name for this syndrom."

Are you speaking of someone who is a hypocondriac(sp)? With everything going around these days, I have those tendencies, too:)

Too many people think it's their right to go about their normal business, to the sad, inconsiderate - and sometimes fatal - detriment of other, innocent people.

What if you have the flu but don't feel very bad? How do you know when you're contagious and when you aren't? Many people with the flu feel sick only half a day or so --- they're going to walk around and do their normal business because they might be contagious but don't even know they are.

One of the two children who died here in NC last week had been vaccinated.

It seems those people who never get the flu vaccine have less problems with the flu when they get one. If you get the natural form of the flu, maybe your immune system gets a better work-out and you are better protected against other viruses.