Golly gee, I recall several seasons when it seemed like everyone I knew had the flu. Don’t remember the dogs and cats living together hysteria in those times.
H1N1 Already Taking Its Toll In Metro Atlanta
One of the area’s foremost infectious disease doctors says what he has already seen of h-1-n-1, tells him this is a dangerous and deadly disease.
He also says we will need every weapon at our disposal to fight it.
John Boudrot has a new nickname.
“Ten percent!”
That’s what the doctors at Dekalb Medical Center called him as they treated him for H1N1 flu in early September.
“They had given me a ten percent chance of survival” Boudrot recalled, “one night in the I.C.U. when things weren’t looking very good.”
That Boudrot is alive today is the result of intensive care...intangibles...and infectious disease expert doctor Robin Dretler.
“He was as sick as you can get and survive” said Dr. Dretler.
Dretler was able to get government permission to use an experimental drug to treat John Boudrot....extraordinary measures for an extraordinary time.
“We have seen illness” Dr. Dretler, “like I’ve never seen in my thirty years of medicine.”
Dretler says flu just doesn’t appear this time of year.
But it has already...and ferociously.
“We’ve had five pregnant women that we’ve hospitalized” Dr. Dretler said.” Three who went on ventilators...two who came in so late that they died very promptly.”
Doctor Dretler says that unless Americans embrace the idea of getting the H1N1 vaccine, there could be a million and a half deaths in the U.S. by the time the H1N1 flu has run its course.
The H1N1 shots should arrive in metro Atlanta next week.
John Boudrot waited a week before he went to the hospital.
Another day and he would’ve died.
That’s why doctor Robin Dretler is adamant about getting the vaccine.
“The risk of not getting the vaccine in this situation” said Dr. Dretler, “is a thousand times greater than the risk of getting the vaccine.”
After a month in an induced coma John Boudrot is home...just barely able to do things for himself.
He is grateful for his doctors and the support of his friends and family.
He is just beginning to understand what he’s been through.
“I’m just happy to be here” said John Boudrot.”
http://www.11alive.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=136259&catid=13