Posted on 12/30/2017 1:38:11 PM PST by familyop
[Follow the link and scroll down for the following text and the map.]
ILINet State Activity Indicator Map: Data collected in ILINet are used to produce a measure of ILI activity* by state. Activity levels are based on the percent of outpatient visits in a state due to ILI and are compared to the average percent of ILI visits that occur during weeks with little or no influenza virus circulation. Activity levels range from minimal, which would correspond to ILI activity from outpatient clinics being below, or only slightly above, the average, to high, which would correspond to ILI activity from outpatient clinics being much higher than average.
During week 51, the following ILI activity levels were experienced:
21 states experienced high activity (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia).
New York City and five states experienced moderate ILI activity (Colorado, Hawaii, New York, North Dakota, and Virginia).
Eight states experienced low ILI activity (Alaska, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wyoming).
14 states experienced minimal ILI activity (Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin).
Data was insufficient to calculate an ILI activity level from the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and two states (Connecticut and North Carolina).
Yeah _ I was in a hurry, not to mention a scarf would have been hard to keep out of the way no matter how tucked in. Some sensitive passages got too “cool-dried” no doubt.
Thanks for the wishes!
One can have gastroenteritis (”stomach flu”?) and influenza at the same time, right?
I’m pretty sure that combo whacked me a few years ago...
Yes, thanks - I’m back to normal activity, except that it’s so dang cold / dry (for here) outside. I’ve been deliberately doing some extra “deep breathing”, indoors.
I tend to have a lot of trouble getting my lungs completely cleared out after most any respiratory “bout”. No 2 year problems, but I’ve had it last 2 months, in a couple cases. It’s as if I get “95% better”, and can’t quite knock out the last 5%.
In this last case, with the brief kidney (?) discomfort, I wonder if I did not get enough fluids for a couple days there? Had no appetite either.
As a now retired healthcare provider, I have seen complications from various medications, including vaccines, ranging from mild headaches to serious allergic reactions mainly from the transporting medium. The 5-9% risk rate would include ALL complications from minor to major, with most being in the minor to mild range. As one who prescribed medications conservatively, my philosophy was to always prescribe as to achieve the greatest positive risk/benefit ratio possible given the patients unique health circumstances. Again, for me, even the possibility of a minor headache made the risk/benefit ratio negative/not positive enough....for me individually. I have seen many of my patients and fellow colleagues contract the ‘flu’ after being vaccinated simply because the vaccine ‘missed’ the strain for that season. I chose not to ‘insult’ my system for a 40-50% chance of effectiveness against this particular malady. I do that with the consideration that nearly all medications/vaccines being an insult to some degree. That could change as my body ages and my ‘systems’ become less able to defend.....or not. Depends on the risk/benefit ratio for the given ailment. As a side, I did receive the Hep B vaccine series even though the complication rate at the time was between 8-10% but the effectiveness was 80-90%. A very positive risk/benefit ratio for me given my circumstances.
Got it the day after Thanksgiving here in WA. First flu in 11 years (I can’t get the shot for health reasons). I was too wiped to even roll over for the first 36 hours. It took 2 weeks to get back to normal on my elliptical. I think one of my chickens had it too ... she got really weak and lethargic for two weeks ... would have died if we didn’t bring her in under the heat lamp.
More health hazards require more ‘solutions’. I worked for the government in CA for 25 years providing healthcare for corrections. Most problems presented ‘opportunities’.
Could be but my goodness that would be unlucky!
Have had several flu shots and always got sicker and had more minor illnesses in those years - being retired makes it easier to avoid high-risk areas...
Yes, thank you-I read all labels so I know what is in it-and one size does not fit all-the combo of that with zinc, C and echinacea works for me and with no side effects-do I think it will work for everyone? Of course not-but I also know I have only gotten a bad case of the flu every time I decided to try the vaccine again, hoping for better results than last time-which never happened.
The doc who owns and operates the clinic in this rural area is a DO and an ethnic Chinese who is also into natural remedies, acupuncture and all other 1000’s of years old Asian stuff-he does not recommend the flu vaccine for anyone who has had a bad side effect before-he says to call him right away for tamiflu if you start to have flu symptoms.
His clinic has been open for 20+ years-several others have started up but they closed in less than 2 years-people quit going because the staff there didn’t believe in natural remedies, and wanted to write a prescription for drugs for everything/everyone. That doesn’t go over with most country people and old hippies like we are out here.
I insist on knowing all ingredients of anything-including food-it is the only sensible way to be-I don’t consume processed or frankenfoods, either-check out the ingredient list on a margarine label...
Ha, ha, nice!
My sister-in-law once saw someone wearing a “Minnesotans for Global Warming” sweatshirt. I need to have one made for Iowans.
Good money to be made from illness or fear of......if one is so inclined.
However, that takes no account of the relative severity of the illnesses, nor the fact that a side effect is extremely unlikely to be communicable, whereas flu is highly communicable. Even if you don't have significant symptoms (ie., it's not a significant case for you), there is a 20-30% chance of passing influenza on. This is all hard to put a "solid" number on, but, a good case of the flu is surely 5x worse than a typical vaccine side effect, more like 10x IMO, and add on a couple points for communicability... I'll be conservative and say "7x",total.
Toss that in (multiply initial risk by severity + communicability) on both sides of the equation, and now you have a 14:1 ratio in favor of vaccination.
“My doc told me last week that so far it’s been about 10% effective here in the states...:-(”
It is impossible to determine whether it was effective. The vaccine doesn’t not prevent you from getting the flu. If you are exposed enough, you will get it. My Dr gets it every 4-5 years because he is constantly exposed. I haven’t had it in 15 years, when I started getting the vaccine every year.
There is no way to determine if the vaccine prevented you from getting the flu
The peaks are during the times of lowest sunshine exposure and thus the natural defensive production of vitamin d3
if you take a large dose of vitamin d3, your will have flu resistance
And remember, being cold does not make you sick. Being inside with sick people makes you sick.
Your numbers ‘add up’ IF the vaccine proves to be 100% effective against any particular year’s guessed at strain. Considering the average effectiveness of the ‘guess’ over time has been about 40-50%, the ‘numbers’ will be different based on actual effectiveness. Again, FOR ME, the risk/benefit ratio must attain a certain consistent threshold before I subject my body to ANY pharmaceutical insult. In the past I advised my patients accordingly depending on their unique health circumstances, always attempting to maintain the philosophy of DO NO HARM. If any year’s ‘guess’ was/is highly effective, GREAT! However if the ‘guess’ is a ‘miss’, why would I knowingly subject my patients to essentially a pharmaceutical placebo? Problem is the hit/miss results are sometimes not known until after the ‘season’........hence my advise was just that, advise not definitive preventative treatment conclusions.
Well, actually I took the 40-50% into account in coming up with the 15% figure for flu risk for unvaccinated individuals, as opposed to the usually published* number of cases actually occurring in the entire US population.
*So far as I can tell.
But where I think we really differ is in my factor for “severity”, and that I don’t judge a pharmaceutical risk / insult differently than a “natural” risk / insult, at least if the former has a fairly well established history.
Having said all that, I’ve been reflecting on that episode when that “inactive” ingredient in a vitamin C supplement whacked me. That was a “doosey”!
At any rate, it’s been an interesting discussion, tho’ I don’t think either of us will change the other’s outlook...
Take care.
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