Early Flu Season _ What You Need to Know
That doesnt mean older people are off the hook. They sometimes catch swine flu. Also, we could see a one-two punch when regular flu strains start circulating as the weather gets colder. You probably wont know which kind you have. Very few people will get the specialized testing to tell. That doesnt matter – treatments the same for both.
Here are answers to some questions about what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts will be a busy and long flu season.
Q: Wheres the vaccine, and how many shots will I need?
A: Many people will need to line up twice. One vaccine protects against regular winter flu, and that vaccines available now. A separate vaccine to protect against swine flu – the 2009 H1N1 strain – will arrive in October. It appears that adults will need one dose of that vaccine; dose studies are under way in children to see if theyll need a booster.
Q: Why couldnt both kinds be put into one shot?
A: Bad timing. Swine flu didnt burst onto the scene until April, after manufacturers had already begun brewing this falls regular flu vaccine and too late to add into that mix.
Q: How does swine flu compare to regular flu strains?
A: So far it doesnt seem any more deadly than regular flu, which kills 36,000 Americans a year and hospitalizes 200,000. But swine flu does sicken the young much more frequently than the old, and it spreads very easily, especially in crowded schools. A University of Washington study found the typical sick school student infects two to three classmates – so keep sick kids at home.
The sad reality: You can be contagious up to 24 hours before you show symptoms, one reason flu spreads so easily.
Q: Whos at highest risk of severe illness or even death?
A: Children under 5. Pregnant women. People 65 or older. And people of any age with asthma or other lung disorders; diabetes; heart, kidney, liver or blood disorders; neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy; or a weakened immune system.
Q: I think I had swine flu over the summer. Do I still need the vaccine?
Q: How does swine flu affect children, and what symptoms should prompt a race to the pediatrician?
A: Symptoms are the same regardless of age: Fever, aches, cough, sore throat, sneezing or runny nose, sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.
The CDC says to seek immediate care if a child has difficulty breathing or is breathing fast, turns bluish, isnt drinking enough fluids, has severe vomiting, is hard to wake up or lethargic, or is so irritable the child doesnt want to be held.
Also seek care if the fever breaks and then later returns, sign of a possible bacterial infection.
Q: What are emergency signs for an adult?