Posts Tagged ‘H1N1’

Swine Flu – A9 H1N1 – Why it is Mild

This video explains WHY the risk posed by “Swine Flu” (A9 H1N1) is being classified as “mild” Please Rate, Favorite and Share. “Swine Flu” (A9 H1N1) is a hybrid of the following influenza strains: * North American Swine (Pig) * North American Avian (Bird) * European/Asian Swine (Pig) * Human Influenza The new virus ‘attacks’ the upper respiratory tract (your throat) which makes it much less dangerous than it would be if it entered the lungs. A gene named NS1 is also described as ‘normal’ which means that the virus is unlikely to result in serious pneumonia. Cytokine Storm Information: en.wikipedia.org NS1 Information: en.wikipedia.org Haemagglutinin Information: en.wikipedia.org Neuraminadase Information: en.wikipedia.org Disclaimer: Fair use assumed from a UK Channel 4 News Broadcast.

Another wave of H1N1 expected

Another surge in H1N1 influenza virus cases could be around the corner, and health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated and take precautions to avoid the illness.

Officials with El Paso’s Department of Public Health are expecting a wave of H1N1 flu in late January, but Deborah Busemeyer, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Health, said it’s difficult to predict the timing or severity of a flu outbreak.

“We do continue to have people getting sick and dying,” she said. “Because it’s a new virus, it’s hard to predict.”

Busemeyer said the best way to protect yourself and your family is to get vaccinated, and health providers now have enough vaccine for more New Mexicans.

Maggie Mitchell-Thompson, 33, a paralegal from Las Cruces, said she got her daughter, Allison Mitchell, 9, vaccinated in September. Allison has asthma, and got the seasonal flu vaccine and the first dose of the nasal swab H1N1 vaccine at First Step Clinic. But Mitchell-Thompson said the clinic had run out of doses when the time came for her second round, so she never got her booster.

Thankfully, Mitchell-Thompson said, her daughter avoided the October flu outbreak, but she said she hopes she can get her 2-year-old son, Jack, vaccinated soon.

The Health Department has ordered about 615,000 doses for providers and public health offices statewide. Vaccine arrives in small shipments weekly, and the department expects to have received close to 1 million doses by the end of January.

Busemeyer said for residents with insurance, the best place to turn for a vaccine is your family health-care provider.

Angie Carver, a nurse with Mesilla Valley Health Care Associates, said her office has gotten all the vaccine it has requested. But, she said, while some patients are asking for the vaccine, others are refusing it.

“They think they might have had (H1N1 flu) in October and they don’t think they need (the vaccine),” Carver said. “Or they think it’s too new, and they don’t want to take a chance.”

Carver said she tries to reassure patients with concerns, since the vaccine is considered safe for everyone over 6 months old.

As for those who think they’re already immune, Carver said most H1N1 diagnoses this year were not confirmed by tests, and it’s still a good idea to get vaccinated.

For those who don’t have insurance, or can’t get the vaccine from their doctor, the Las Cruces Public Health Office at 1170 N. Solano Drive will have free vaccination clinics from 5 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 6, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.

Immunizations will be done by appointment only, and each clinic is limited to 300 people.

Melanie Ikard with the Public Health Office said appointments are still available for the Jan. 27 clinic, but the first two have filled up. However, Ikard said cancellations are common, so appointments could become available for all three clinics.

To schedule an appointment or check for cancellations, call (575) 528-5090 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office will be closed today.

Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman Mandy Leatherwood said the hospital has adequate doses, and is in discussion with the Department of Health about possibly doing a shot clinic in the coming weeks, depending on supply. A spokesperson for MountainView Medical Center said last week that no clinics were planned there at this time.

The H1N1 flu, initially called the swine flu, emerged last spring, spreading person-to-person worldwide, causing the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years. New Mexico has had 50 deaths, including four Do-a Ana County residents, and 964 hospitalizations related to the swine flu since it was first confirmed in the state in April.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccination is the best protection against the flu. The illness can range from mild to life-threatening.

CDC labs have shown that no children and few adults younger than 60 years old have existing antibodies for the H1N1 flu virus, but a third of adults older than 60 may have antibodies against the virus.

The vaccine was scarce at first and priority was given to pregnant women, people with medical conditions and those ages 6 months to 24 years.

Swine Flu Vaccine H1N1 shot is dangerous

Why are all of these harmful chemicals inside of the vaccine? Desiree Jennings: www.youtube.com Ingredients in the vaccine: www.thehealingpraxis.com Doctor will not take Vaccine or give it to his kids: www.youtube.com Vaccines and ingredients: www.novaccine.com

H1N1 tests: Patients nervously await results

Patients all over India are nervously awaiting their results of H1N1 tests.

As public clinics begin H1N1 shots, state says private provider shouldn’t have 10,000 doses

The Farmers Branch flu clinic that has been selling its 10,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine to anybody with $20 should never have received a single one, state health officials said Friday.The company, known as Flu Shots of America and Star Medical Group, misrepresented itself when it registered for the swine flu vaccine, Texas health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said. The company identified itself as a private medical practice rather than a company in the vaccine business.

Because the vaccine is still scarce, the state is sending it only to private practices, public health departments and hospitals. But the huge amount shipped to the company should have tipped state officials that something was wrong, Williams said. No other private provider in the county has gotten as much as half that amount”It should have raised a red flag,” she said. “This is a lesson learned.”

Meanwhile, public health departments began mass vaccinations.Dallas County, people with appointments steadily visited the health department to vaccinate their children with chronic illness. And Tarrant County held its first walk-in clinic, using up almost all of the more than 1,600 doses it had on hand for pregnant women and children with chronic illnesses.

Officials from both counties said their first clinics had gone smoothly.

“We started our clinics as a test run because children are a high-risk population,” said Zachary Thompson, director of the Dallas County health department.

The Tarrant County clinic may offer a warning about crowd control for the Dallas County clinic, scheduled for Wednesday and open to county residents in the H1N1 risk category without health insurance.

On Friday, about 1,000 people came out to W.G. Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City for a clinic aimed at a much smaller target population. The available parking was filled long before the doors opened Friday morning.

High-visibility clinic

Like the two public clinics, traffic at Flu Shots of America was steady again Friday. Owner Jeff Vitt said he expected to give out 800 doses, a bit less than on Thursday.

Flu vaccine is finding its way to more private providers each day, but this clinic – labeled on building signage as Flu Shots of Texas – is the only high-visibility source in North Texas placing no restrictions on who got vaccinated.

State officials had two problems with that:

Because the national supply of the vaccine is limited, Texas is distributing it only to practitioners who serve the most patients at the highest risk of getting very ill with the H1N1 virus. The state defines that category as pregnant women, children ages 6-24 months, youths with chronic illness, health care providers and household contacts of infants younger than six months old.

Any provider who wants to give out H1N1 vaccine is required to register with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and identify what kind of practice it is and the types of high-risk patients it serves.

Williams said the state is investigating why Flu Shots of America misrepresented itself on the registration. The state will not ship any more vaccine to the company while it investigates.

The other concern, Williams said, is that the company offered the vaccine to people not in the high-risk groups.

‘Missing the point’

Vitt could not be reached to respond to Williams’ remarks, made late Friday afternoon, but he said Thursday that he has done nothing wrong.

Public records show that Vitt has registered several business names in recent years, often listing the Farmers Branch clinic address, 2300 Valley View Lane. Some are health-related, including Texas Family & Occupational Health Services, which does business as Star Medical Group, and Excel Occupational Clinics.

He also has formed a debt-collection business called Recovery Services of America, which describes itself as “a results-oriented recovery resource for companies and physician practices.”

On Thursday, Vitt said that he believes that everyone is at risk and that many of those who visited his clinic are in the official risk groups.

Vitt broke no law in selling the shots, Williams said. But that doesn’t mean state officials are happy about it.

“It is missing the point of what we are trying to do,” she said.

Officials at one local medical company, Home Health Services of Dallas, said they had alerted the state to what Flu Shots of America was doing days before the clinic came to public attention.

When told by a client that their competitor was offering unrestricted H1N1 vaccine, the company complained to the state, said Dr. Robert Kramer, the company’s flu program medical director. They were told the state was relying on the honesty of the providers.

“There is no due diligence or accountability there,” said Kramer, a pediatric pulmonologist who practiced at UT Southwestern for 30 years. “I am just furious there are people around who are doing something they know is unconscionable.”

In line with the rules

On the other hand, some people who are in the high-risk groups got their vaccines Friday from the two county free clinics.

People started arriving for the Tarrant County clinic in the chill drizzle long before dawn. By the time screeners emerged to check for eligibility, the line snaked around the building and along an adjacent road.

The third group in line was turned away by the screeners. Lauro Euribe said he came at 5 a.m. with friends and family. He seemed bewildered at being told none of them were eligible for that day’s clinic. But none of the women were pregnant and the kids were all healthy.

“We came here for nothing?” asked Ramon Jimenez, 11. “And we missed a test!”

But Kathleen Jenkins of Arlington got her vaccines for her children. She and daughter Charlotte, 15, and son Kelly, 16, were the first in line and had camped out overnight with a tent. Jenkins said that her two children were asthmatic and that she has suffered from serious bouts of pneumonia.

“We have been hypervigilant since they first announced two weeks ago that the swine flu vaccine would be coming,” Jenkins said.

In Dallas, the scene was more orderly. There were few walk-ups and those who did were turned away and told to make an appointment or wait for next week’s clinic.

By the time Fatima Rangel and her 7-year-old son reached the lobby at 9:30 a.m., there was no line. She was relieved to get the vaccine for her son, Zion, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. Last year, he was hospitalized with breathing problems.

“Unfortunately, his pediatrician didn’t get the shots,” she said. “So we had to come here.”

Dallas only

Dallas County administered about 150 flu shots Friday and plans to do 200 more each on Monday and Tuesday for children, ages 6 months to 18 years old, who meet the department’s criteria.

On Wednesday, the health department will begin offering 10,000 free flu shots to anyone in the highest-risk groups, including children, pregnant women, caregivers of children under 6 months old, people aged 25 to 62 years old who have medical conditions and health care and emergency workers who might have contact with flu carriers.

The doses will go only to those who can prove they are Dallas County residents. The intent is to serve only people who have no medical insurance.

On Friday afternoon, staffers were unloading traffic cones that will be used to corral the onslaught of vehicles. Thompson said he hoped the public will understand that the county’s vaccine is not for everybody.

“We are the safety net,” he stressed. “When everyone has their vaccine, it’s a non-issue.”

How to decide if you should take the H1N1 flu vaccine and your business internet money online opportunity

We continue to be inundated with information about the flu season and the H1N1 swine flu virus.  We all ask ourselves the question, should I get the H1N1 flu shot?  Is this virus more dangerous than the seasonal flu?  Who are the people at risk and even dying from the disease? What is in the inoculation? These are very important questions to ask yourself.  You need to provide the answers given here to your customers visiting your business internet money online opportunity web site.

Here are three questions and answers to consider before being vaccinated or panicking about the H1N1 swine flu.

1.  Is the H1N1 swine flu a strong virus and worse than the seasonal flu?  No.  In the vast majority of cases, both viruses are mild enough where the people are able to recover without hospitalization or medication.  Both the seasonal and swine flu produce identical symptoms.  This includes a fever exceeding 100 degrees, coughing, runny nose and/or sore throat, joint aches, headaches, vomiting and/or diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite.  You need to be aware that we all get sick and in this flu season be sure and provide the truth to you customers at your website for your business internet money online opportunity.

2.  Is it true only those people with severely compromised immune systems are dying or are susceptible to serious harm from either the seasonal flu or the swine flu?  The answer to this question is obvious.  The flu does not kill those in good health, it kills those whose immune systems have lost their ability to protect.  Those children who have died from H1N1 are those with a pre-existing disease.  It has been shown that Vitamin D is a main protector against the flu and many diseases.  Children or people with a Vitamin D deficiency are at risk.  The CDC reports that 36,000 people die annually from the flu but this statistic does not tell you that nearly 34,000 of these cases also had pneumonia caused from other complications and actually die from that.  Thus the actual figures are that out of hundreds of millions of people only about 1,800 actually die from the flu and we are not sure if they die from the seasonal or H1N1.  Again, report the facts on your business internet money online opportunity web site.

3. Are the ingredients in the swine flu inoculation dangerous?   Here is a list of some of the ingredients so you can decide.

- Squalene – an adjuvant, causes severe immune responses and is linked to auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and Gulf War Syndrome

- Thimerosal – mercury, linked to neurological disorders such as autism, the 25mcg within 1 vaccine is 250 times greater than the EPA’s level that is considered safe.  We are told not to eat more than 1 serving of fish per week due to mercury yet injecting a large amount into the blood stream is supposedly healthy?

- Aluminum — a neurotoxin linked to Alzheimer’s disease

- Triton X-100 — a detergent

- Phenol (carbolic acid)

- Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

- Betapropiolactone – a disinfectant

- Nonoxynol – used to kill or stop growth of STDs

- Octoxinol 9 – a spermicide

- Sodium phosphate

So will you put yourself and family at risk by taking the H1N1 swine flu shot and possibly even get the flu as has been the case in Canada or stay healthy and take precautions to avoid getting it?  This is your decision but in either case be sure and tell the facts to your customers at your business internet money online opportunity web site.

H1N1 impacts everyday life in Southwest Riverside

For Temecula resident Jerry Moe, 77, the extensive coverage urging him to get the H1N1 vaccination, and his inability to do so, has led to frustration.

“I think the government is at fault for putting that out there so much and not having the supplies to back it up,” Moe said. “They should get to work on getting it available in more places. I’ve called the county and even they don’t know where it is going to be.”

Moe, who has already received the seasonal flu shot, is concerned not only for himself but also for his great-grandchildren who are considered a priority group.

“I have three great-grandkids that can’t find a place locally to take the vaccine. I encourage my granddaughter to keep calling and looking,” he said.

In the meantime, Moe said he has generally avoided crowded places like the movies. The only exception, he said, is Pechanga Casino near Temecula.

Mixed media messages, a vaccination recall and shortages have left residents perplexed as to how to respond to the H1N1 epidemic.

With April headlines reading, “U.S. ‘very concerned’ about swine flu outbreak,” and May headlines reading, “Swine Flu no worse than regular flu,” it’s no wonder there is confusion.

Amid economic pressure, one thing is certain: local businesses are doing everything they can to calm customers’ H1N1 fears.

According to Pechanga’s Director of Public Affairs Jacob Mejia, the casino has “taken the H1N1 threat very seriously since the news about the pandemic first came out.”

Hand-sanitizer was placed in both public and back of house areas. Informational displays about preventing the spread of germs and H1N1 were also posted for employees. Recently the casino also arranged for team members, as well as dependents on their health insurance plan, to receive the H1N1 vaccine free of charge.

Mejia said three full-time nurses employed by the casino have also been “very helpful” in providing H1N1 education to employees.

“Like most businesses, we heard questions about H1N1 from patrons when the pandemic first broke in late April. Since then we have not seen a decline in business volumes attributable to H1N1,” Mejia said.

Pala Casino Public Relations Manager Jack Taylor said in an email that “H1N1 has not had an effect on Pala Casino Spa & Resort” located just south of Temecula in San Diego County.

Without proper sanitation, another potential bastion of germs is the gym.

In addition to a three-times-a-day cleaning regimen, 24-Hour Fitness in Murrieta has increased sanitation with four sanitation stations located throughout the gym. The stations were installed six months ago with equipment cleaner. A hand sanitation component was added two months ago.

Around the same time, Murrieta’s 24 Hour Fitness dealt with a case of H1N1 in their daycare Kids’ Club. According to Manager Chris Van Der Hoeven, the club was not notified of the illness by the parent. The club found out about the incident after two to three other children became ill. The Kids’ Club was closed for a few days and the entire area was sanitized.

The incident, however, “slowed down some parents from coming in to work out for the two to three weeks after,” Van Der Hoeven said.

One sanitation station is now located directly outside of the Kids’ Club door.

“The sanitizers are empty ever other day and they are supposed to last a week,” Van Der Hoeven said. “I’m sure the company forking out a little more money in that has helped business.”

Though most grocery cart anti-bacterial wipes have been around since 2005, Louise Small, 63, has found them especially useful in recent months.

“It’s nice that businesses have made that available,” she said. “I have used them more since the outbreak.”

She also carries antibacterial wipes in her car. Small does not, however, plan on getting the H1N1 vaccine due to the recent recall.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website explains that the “non-safety-related voluntary recall” includes 800,000 preservative-free pediatric vaccines distributed throughout the U.S. The Sanofi Pasteur vaccines were found to be less potent than the “specified range” during follow-up testing.

On Dec. 22 a second recall was announced for MedImmune nasal sprays citing similar potency reasons. There are 4.7 million doses affected in the recall.

While recipients of the vaccine were not harmed, the word “recall” has surely conjured up fear for some.

Fifty-two-year-old Susan Cooper has never had a flu shot.

“Now I am afraid to. They can’t make up their minds,” she said.

Phyllis Mleczko, 68, an annual recipient of the seasonal flu vaccine decided against the H1N1 vaccine.

“To me it hasn’t been tested yet,” she said. “I know they say it is safe but I am just too skeptical.”

For 28-year-old Maria Vasquez and her family, they decided the vaccination was worthwhile.

“My spouse, myself and my four-year-old son were all vaccinated a week ago. I had been sick and I didn’t want to get the flu,” she said.

Since the outbreak, Vasquez has also used the anti-bacterial wipes provided in the grocery store and avoids going to the movies.

Fifty-two-year-old Vince Barone said his wife talked him into getting an H1N1 vaccine this year.

Barone, who works at the Ralphs distribution center in Moreno Valley, said “I wash my hands more often now.” He also uses the sanitizers at work that were installed after the outbreak.

Joana Johnson, 40, is four months pregnant and all six people in her family have been vaccinated. Though pregnancy places Johnson in a priority group, she said that was “not a factor” in her decision to get the vaccine.

Temecula resident Karen Connerton, 67, is facing a lung transplant. On the recommendation of her doctor, she received an H1N1 shot three weeks ago, as did her husband, but was frustrated they “had to go to [the city of] Riverside to get it.”

As of Dec. 18, California has received the largest shipment of H1N1 vaccine doses, totaling nearly 10.5 million. Texas follows with 6.4 million doses and Florida with 4.5 million.

According to a Dec. 16 press release by the Riverside County Department of Public Health, all Riverside residents “can walk into 10 county family care centers without an appointment and get the H1N1 flu vaccine” beginning Dec. 21.

Centers are located Corona, Banning, Jurupa, Perris, Indio, Palm Springs, Rubidoux, Lake Elsinore, Hemet and Riverside. This contrasts previous months where vaccine shortages led to cancelations of multiple flu clinics.

Hundreds lined up for the first public clinic in Southwest Riverside County to offer H1N1 vaccines. It was held at Ortega High School in Lake Elsinore on Dec. 9 for priority groups.

“Officials are confident” they will continue receiving shipments and can expand the vaccine from priority groups like pregnant women, children, medical workers and adults with chronic medical conditions, to all residents.

Nearby Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties have all followed suit with expanded distribution. New supplies couldn’t come at a better time. Recent data released by the CDC suggest one in six Americans has already contracted H1N1.

The virus, also commonly known as Swine Flu for its genes resembling a virus normally found in pigs, was first confirmed on U.S. soil in April. Since then, the virus has claimed 30 lives in Riverside County and 417 in California. CDC epidemiologists estimate the nationwide death toll to be 10,000.

The CDC’s Flu Vaccine Locator, partnered with Google Maps, makes finding a vaccine quite simple. Search results indicate which locations are stocked with H1N1 vaccines, seasonal flu vaccines, or both.

Below is a list of other local businesses and precautions they have taken to ward off H1N1.

Ryan Digregorio, manager of the Fantastic Sams located on Rancho California Rd. in Temecula, had placed a sign in their window after the initial out break in April. It read, “Due to the high frequency of family and guests, if you have a fever, please refrain from getting a hair cut at this time.” The sign was taken down in summer “after it started getting better,” she said.

The Fantastic Sams on Mission Trail Rd. in Lake Elsinore did not put up a sign but did buy hand sanitizer and has “heard a lot of stores about kids on soccer teams getting sick,” Manager Megan Hernandez said. A memo was also sent to employees advising them to “to just stay home” if they were sick.

Tina Decosta, manager of Lake Elsinore’s Diamond Cinemas said, “Business has been the same,” but they did put in hand sanitizer six months ago.