Last week my wife and son got the flu and after all family flu shots over the last few years the flu really shook my confidence in the flu shot. Well in researching I found that there is one very recent study showing that although the flu shot is not a cure all the flu shot reduced the incidence of the flu by 30%. Definitely with it don’t you think?

In a four-season observational study, having a flu shot was also associated with fewer doctor visits for influenza-like illness and better school performance, according to Kristin Nichol, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Minnesota.

The findings suggest college students can expect “substantial benefits” from getting vaccinated, Dr. Nichol and colleagues said in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, influenza, Kristin Nichol, Minnesota, Northfield, St. Olaf College, state health department, University of Minnesota, upper respiratory infections, vaccination

I got my flu shot last week and I know that many people are nervous about getting a flu shot, let’s face it no one wants to get a shot just because it “might” help them stay healthy, but it really is important.

Studies show that even though a lot of press is made about the flu shot occasionally not being formulated to hit the right flu virus, more often than not the researchers are right on and a lot of sickness is avoided by getting a simple flu shot.

The flu shot may not just protect against influenza. A new study suggests it may also reduce the risk of developing a blood clot by as much as 26 per cent.

Researchers from the University Paris Descartes found that the flu shot was equally effective against two types of blood clots: deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the leg, and pulmonary embolism, which is a clot in the lung.

A blood clot can be fatal if it breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream and reaches the lungs.

The research, which included more than 1,400 patients, also found that the flu shot: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, deep vein thrombosis, embolism, inflammation, influenza, Joseph Emmerich, lead study author, Louisiana, New Orleans, Oral contraceptives, pulmonary embolism, vaccination

I have gotten a flu shot every year for the last 6 years or so to protect myself from getting the flu. Now a study has been released saying that the chance of dying from the flu is not reduced by getting the shot. I for one do not get the shot to save myself from death but instead to just not have that few weeks of possible downtime from getting a bad flu.

Still this is interesting, if people get vaccinated against the flu then why does in not lower fly deaths? Is this becasue the worst of the strains are not protected against?

The flu shot does help protect against specific strains of influenza but its ability to help prevent deaths among the elderly may have been exaggerated, a new study suggests.

Over the last 20 years in the U.S., vaccination rates among the elderly have increased from 15 to 65 per cent, but hospital admissions and death rates from all causes have not declined proportionately, said Dean Eurich, a clinical epidemiologist and professor at the school of public health at the University of Alberta. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alberta, Dean Eurich, flu season, flu shots, immunizations, influenza, mortality rates, pneumonia, principal investigator and a medical professor, professor, Sumit Majumdar, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, United States, University of Alberta, vaccination, vaccination rates

The Center for Disease Control is reporting that Measles Cases are at the highest rate in over 10 years. Most of the reason for the really high rate of Measles outbreaks is because of the fear of Autism from kids getting the

More measles cases have been reported in the United States since Jan. 1, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996, according to a report released today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Measles Results for 2008

Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported to CDC′s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). At least fifteen patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Academy of Pediatrics, Anne Schuchat, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Autism, Belgium, California, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, China, D.C., director, encephalitis, Europe, Georgia, Germany, hawaii, Illinois, immunization, India, Israel, Italy, Louisiana, measles, Michigan, Missouri, mmr vaccine, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Mumps, National Center for Immunization, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, New Mexico, New York, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, preventing infections, Respiratory Diseases, rubella, Russian Federation, Switzerland, the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, vaccination, vaccination program, vaccination status, vaccines, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

Did you know that Flu season hits it’s peak in the first week of February? I did not but I thought that flu season was a long drawn out affair but in fact the CDC, the center for disease control tracks flu season on a week by week basis.

This year it looks as though for once the flu shots that people have been getting are only 40% effective compared to most years average of about 90% effective. Early in the year the expected predominant flus are decided and a flu shot cocktail is devised to fight the main flus expected for the next winter. In 16 of the last 19 years the CDC has guessed right, this is not once of those years. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: cdc, center for disease control, flu season, flu shots, h3n2 virus, influenza, influenza activity, Joe Bresee, specimens, U.S. World Health Organization, United States, vaccination, viruses

Flu season is coming and around my town there are clinics setup everywhere for people to get vaccinated against the flu.

One of the stories that I hear every year is how the people that develop the flu vaccination did not correctly figure out what strain of flu will be coming this year and this year is no exception. News stories are all about sensationalizing the stories that they have and every year I hear this “should you both getting vaccinated” Well yes of course you should get vaccinated against the flu.

Another story to watch out for is the urban legend that the flu vaccine actually gives you a small dose of the flu and this will teach your body how to dight it. The idea being that your body should fight of this small flu and you will be protected. Well this just is not the case anymore. Actually the flu vaccine is just a synthetic, dead virus that will teach your body with no downside at all. No it will not give you the flu.

Finally one story that I heard this weekend from the public health nurse was that in the event of a flu pandemic, the bird flu that we have been talking about the last couple of years,  the number one  prevention will be hand washing. As we wash our hands we break the cycle of bacteria and washing your hands will be the best way to stop the chance of catching any viruses this winter.

Tags: Bird flu, flu pandemic, flu season, flu vaccination, flu vaccine, prevention, public health nurse, vaccination

Childhood Immunization or vaccinations as they are also called is one of the best ways to protect your children from many serious diseases. Some parents are afraid that vaccines can be dangerous and think that it might be better to let their children gain immunity by getting the disease. This is a serious mistake!

While it would be wrong to say that vaccines are completely free of side effects, they are much safer than the diseases they protect against. The vaccines that are available in Canada have undergone rigorous testing to ensure their safety and effectiveness. However, as with anything in life, there is always a risk. Here are some cautions parents should be aware of:

� If your child has ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, talk with your doctor before the child gets another shot. Allergic reactions include breathing problems and severe swelling of the skin or mouth.

� There may be some redness, swelling, or pain at the place where the needle entered the skin.

� Some children may develop a fever after getting a vaccination. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you on how to relieve these symptoms.

� If your child is very sick when it is time for a vaccination, ask your doctor if it would be better to reschedule the shot.

Diseases that Can Be Prevented

Not all diseases can be prevented, but vaccines can provide protection against the following diseases.

� Diphtheria is an infection that can damage the heart or paralyze the breathing muscles and cause death.

� Tetanus (lockjaw) causes muscles to become tight and go into spasms, which can severely affect breathing and cause death.

� Pertussis (whooping cough) can cause such severe coughing spells that an infected baby or child may not be able to eat, drink, or breathe. The infection can also cause brain damage and death.

� Poliomyelitis (polio) is a viral infection that attacks the spinal cord and brain and may cause life-long physical disability, paralysis, or death.

� Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) is a bacterial infection that can cause blood poisoning or bacterial meningitis, an infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings that can lead to mental retardation, deafness, and death.

� Measles (rubeola) is a serious illness that causes high fever and skin rash. It can lead to serious complications that can be fatal.

� German measles (rubella) causes a rash and a fever. Healthy children generally recover completely, but if a pregnant woman catches the infection, it can cause serious birth defects in her unborn baby. Vaccinating children will help prevent the spread of this disease to pregnant women.

� Mumps is a viral infection that settles in the saliva glands, causing fever, weakness, and facial swelling. A healthy young child will usually recover from mumps, but it can cause serious complications such as deafness and swollen testicles in older children.

� Chickenpox causes itchy, weeping blisters to form on the skin. Children generally recover from mild cases of chickenpox, but the disease may lead to serious complications. An adult who is not immune to chickenpox can easily catch the disease from an infected child, and one in five adults who gets chickenpox develops pneumonia, which can be deadly.

� Hepatitis B can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby. Some children become infected when they have their ears pierced with a contaminated needle. It can also be picked up from a contaminated household object, such as using a toothbrush that was used by an infected family member. Once a person is infected, the hepatitis B virus attacks the liver and my cause liver disease or liver cancer.

Other Vaccinations

In addition to immunizing children against the diseases described above, the Canadian Pediatric Society and Health Canada recommend that children receive the following vaccines:

� Pneumococcal vaccine to protect against infections caused by a bacteria known as Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes meningitis (a brain infection), pneumonia, and ear infections.

� Meningococcal vaccine to protect against diseases caused by the meningococcus bacteria, which is responsible for meningitis and septicemia (a serious blood infection).

� Flu shot to prevent influenza. This is especially important in children who have a high risk of developing serious complications from the flu. Children are considered to be at high risk if they have heart or lung problems, a chronic condition such as diabetes, or if they have been treated for long periods of time with ASA.

Timing Is Important
It is important for children to receive vaccines at the proper times. For the sake of convenience, some vaccinations are combined into a single shot. Check with your local health clinic or hospital to find out when you are expected to get these immunizations.

Tags: allergic reaction, allergic reactions, bacterial infection, bacterial meningitis, birth defects, blisters, blood infection, blood poisoning, brain infection, Canada, Canadian Pediatric Society, Chickenpox, deafness, diabetes, diphtheria, diseases, ear infections, fever, German measles, Hepatitis B, household object, immunizations, infected family member, influenza, liver cancer, liver disease, lockjaw, measles, meningitis, mental retardation, Mumps, needle, paralysis, Pertussis, pharmacist, pneumonia, polio, Poliomyelitis, rash, rubella, rubeola, septicemia, skin rash, Tetanus, vaccination, vaccinations, vaccines, viral infection, whooping cough

It is that time of year again. We are all stuck indoors during the Winter and the flu starts moving around. According to the CDC 5% to 20% of the population get the flu and 200,000 people are hospitalized with 36,000 people dying every year…just from the flu. Many of us think of the flu as something that makes us throw up for a day and then is gone, what we are really talking about here is the “Real Flu” the flu that makes you sick for weeks and something that you would never want to get.

There is a lot you can do to prevent getting the flu, starting with a flu shot. Flu shots in many places across North America are free and very important to get. Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

The CDC recently came out with some recommendations for anti viral agents. Although annual vaccination is the primary strategy for preventing complications of influenza virus infections, antiviral medications with activity against influenza viruses can be effective for the chemoprophylaxis and treatment of influenza. Four licensed influenza antiviral agents are available in the United States: amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, and oseltamivir.

Influenza A virus resistance to amantadine and rimantadine can emerge rapidly during treatment. On the basis of antiviral testing results conducted at CDC and in Canada indicating high levels of resistance, CDC and ACIP recommend that neither amantadine nor rimantadine be used for the treatment or chemoprophylaxis of influenza A in the United States until susceptibility to these antiviral medications has been re-established among circulating influenza A viruses. Oseltamivir or zanamivir can be prescribed if antiviral treatment of influenza is indicated. Oseltamivir is approved for treatment of persons aged >1 year, and zanamivir is approved for treatment of persons aged >7 years. Oseltamivir and zanamivir can be used for chemoprophylaxis of influenza; oseltamivir is licensed for use in persons aged >1 year, and zanamivir is licensed for use in persons aged >5 years.

I have covered the flu before including the Avian Flu and the use of Cold FX for cold prevention

Tags: Avian Flu, Canada, chemoprophylaxis, influenza, north America, United States, vaccination, virus infections