Nasty virus taking Sydney people down
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/nasty-virus-taking-sydney-people-down/story-e6frezz0-1225840619803
Dr Gordian Fulde March 15, 2010
SYDNEYSIDERS are being hit by a virus that is not only taking down people but also hospital staff.
It is an unseasonal virus, not the swine flu, that is really nasty and the emergency department has been flooded by people coming in sick with it.
It has caused some people, even young ones, to get pneumonia.
This is not the right time of the year but it is amazing how it is spreading. It seems to be attacking the head so people feel like they are getting the flu.
They will have a nasty cough and we are seeing a lot of sore throats and infections that are so severe we have to admit people.
Some patients have had throats so swollen they can’t swallow or breath properly and even their neck is swollen.
Vitamin D as effective as vaccine in preventing flu
14/03/2010 19:30:00 admin
Taking high doses of vitamin D3 supplements helps reduce risk of acquiring seasonal flu in winter, a new Japanese trial demonstrated.
The trial results reported in the March 10, 2010 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that children given a vitamin D(3) supplement were 42 percent less likely to get infected with seasonal flu than those who were given a placebo.
The efficacy is remarkable as it is probably comparable to that of flu vaccine, which is generally low because the virus used to construct the vaccine often does not match well with the circulating one.
Deficiency of Vitamin D, which is synthesized after the skin is exposed to sunlight or UV rays, has been associated with increased risk of seasonal flu and swine flu as well. But most of such studies were epidemiological or observational.
In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Dr. Mitsuyoshi Urashima and colleagues at Division of Molecular Epidemiology Jikei University School of Medicine Minato-ku in Tokyo Japan gave one group of schoolchildren 1,200 international units per day of vitamin D(3) and another group a placebo to see how vitamin D would prevent seasonal flu.
The primary outcome of the trial was the incidence of influenza A and diagnosis was established by testing a flu antigen in a nasopharyngeal swab specimen.
During the trial between Dec 2008 and March 2009, 18 of 167 (10.8%) children given vitamin D tested positive for flu infection compared to 31 of 167 (18.6) children in the placebo group. The relative risk is 0.58 meaning those taking vitamin D were at 42 percent reduced risk of seasonal flu.
The anti-flu effect was found much more significantly among children who had not been taking other vitamin D supplements and who started nursery school after age 3 and the reduction in the risk was 64 percent for both groups.
In a subgroup of children who were previously diagnosed with asthma, 2 children taking the vitamin D supplement experienced asthma attacks while 12 children receiving a placebo suffered asthma attacks meaning that vitamin D cut the risk by 83 percent.
The researchers concluded that the results suggest that vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter time may reduce the incidence of influenza A.
Dr. John Cannell, one of most knowledgeable vitamin D experts in the world, director of Vitamin D Council - a non-profit organization, and colleagues early published a heavy-weight review article in a scientific journal called Virology explaining that vitamin D is needed for the production of antibacterial peptides.
In winter, according to Dr. Cannell, people tend to stay indoors,lack exposure to sunshine and are prone to becoming vitamin D deficient. This is why people in winter are at higher risk of influenza including seasonal flu.
Dr. Cannell suggests adults can take 5,000 IU per day and try to maintain 50 to 80 ng/mL (or 125 to 200 nm/L) year-round. One early study suggests that it is safe for schoolchildren to take 2,000 IU per day for a year without any noticeable side effects.
Vitamin D is found only in a few foods including eggs and fatty fish like salmon. Because of this, this vitamin is fortified in some foods like milk, orange juice and cereals. But vitamin D levels in such foods are fairly low and you may need to drink as many as 20 glasses of milk to get enough vitamin D. Because of this, vitamin D supplements are a good source of the nutrient although the best source is UV rays.
Dr. Cannell cautioned that high intake of vitamin A can reduce the efficacy of vitamin D. Cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin A while vitamin D is relatively low, is not as good as used to be as a vitamin D source.
A health observer suggests that regardless of your vaccination status, an adequate level of serum vitamin D should be maintained to prevent flu and many other serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
For more detailed information on vitamin D, visit Vitamin D Council.
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks for the ping, do we now get a new virus for each year?