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Posted Dec. 3, 2009 11 AM Flu
vaccine update- We now have both the seasonal
flu vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. Everyone gets flu shots We will now vaccinate any
of our patients who want the seasonal flu vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. In my professional opinion, all individuals
under the age of 50 should get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. The last time this particular strain of flu was wreaking havoc was in
1957. That means yours truly probably had it as a kid (along with measles, mumps, and pertussis). But those ten years younger
than I have not. Despite the annoying production delays, more and more vaccine should be available in the next months. Please
get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. I will be happy to give any woman who is pregnant the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, whether or not her children
are my patients. I feel that everyone should get the seasonal vaccine also. The short answer why I recommend that everyone
get the seasonal flu vaccine is that every year, 36,000 people die of the flu. Please remember, as far as the 2009 H1N1 vaccine is concerned, all
children 9 years of age and under will require two shots of the vaccine, four weeks apart. This is whether or not they have
received flu shots in the past. That is another example of the importance of the kids getting the 2009 H1N1 Influenza vaccine.
Unlike some of us "seasoned" citizens, their young immune systems have never seen a flu virus like this. They need
two shots to mount a good immune response. We also have seasonal flu vaccine for the
kids under 3 years. So please make sure your children under 3 come in for their shots sooner rather than later. And remember, if they never have had a flu shot before, they will need two shots. each shot should be separated by 4
weeks. The stock phase that the CDC has been using relative to the flu is
that each flu season is unpredictable.That seems to apply to the vaccine availability as well. Any questions, please call me. Dr. D.
Posted Nov.16 How to avoid it, and what to do if you get it.
The 2009 H1N1 Influenza, AKA Swine Flu, is hitting the area hard. To reduce the chance of getting it, recall what your Mom always told you.
Wash your hands, frequently. Cover your cough with
your arm. Take a good multi-vitamin with the micro-nutrients. Get a good nights' sleep. Take time to relax and de-stress.
And I'm going to add- gargle with salt water or mouth wash at night. Now, if you get the lousy thing, don't despair. We have plenty of Tamiflu.
And there are always things you can do to speed your recovery. Take you vitamines. Take extra vitamine C daily
for a week. Gargle with salt water thrice daily. Drink lots of fluids. But very easy on the alcohol. Get a good nights' sleep. (sound familiar) If you
have a temperature, stay home. About
fevers. The fever is one of the body's major mechanisms for fighting off an infection. It is not the virus causing the
fever. It is the body's reaction to the virus or bacteria causing the fever. If you vigorously suppress the temperature
down to the alleged normal of 98.6, you could prolong the illness. I suggest that if you or your child has an elevated temperature,
and they are otherwise fine, do not give Tylenol. let the fever do its' job and cook out the illness. Now, of course, this is your decision. If the temperature is 102.0,
give the kid Tylenol. Also, I do not recommend Ibuprofen in this situation. That is Motrin or Advil. Ibuprofen can retard
the immune systems' ability to fight off an infection. If you need to treat a fever, use Tylenol or a slightly warm bath.
And make sure the kid drinks plenty of fluids. Now, if you have a temperature, stay home. Don't give the lousy flu to your colleagues, your customers, your
patients, your students, etc. We will
get through this. Dr.
D.
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Updated February 9, 2010 One of the more
annoying and increasingly irritating aspects of the 2009H1N1 saga is the growing number of misperseptions about the vaccine
and the outright myths conserning the 2009H1N1 vaccine side effects. Each one more outrageous than the last. I list here the
responses I have gotten in my office to my question "Have you heard any new stories about the Swine Flu vaccine and it's
side effects." I respond to the resonable issues. The more absurd ones I'll just leave you to shake your head over.
1 The vaccine is too new. Actually, all Flu vaccines are "new" in
the sense that the vaccine is made new every year. This is because the Flu virus changes every year. the regular seasonal
Flu vaccine is just as new as the 2009H1N1 vaccine. The Flu vaccine we used last year was just as "new" then as
this years' seasonal and 2009H1N1 vaccines are this year. 2 The vaccine has not been tested, or not tested enough.
All Flu vaccines are tested for efficacy and safety. This seasons vaccines are no exception.
Now some people will insist that sufficient testing be done to ensure that a vaccine is 100% safe. No amount of testing can
be done to call anything 100% safe. Not table saws, cars, space ships, or vaccines. But sufficient testing was done on the 2009H1N1 vaccine to tell us some important things about the virus. Children
under 10 years of age require two doses of the 20091N1 vaccine to mount an acceptable immune response. This is whether or
not they have received Flu shots in past years. The little ones' immune systems are naked to this Flu virus. Which further
demonstrates the danger of this virus to the kids, and the importance of getting the vaccine. More on this later. 3 The vaccine was made too fast. There is also an implication in this perception that the manufacturers did not know what they were
doing. The facts are that the production of the 2009H1N1 vaccine was actually somewhat slower than forecast because this virus
grows more slowly than the seasonal Flu virus. You need virus to make vaccine. The slower the growth, the longer it takes
to make the vaccine. And the vaccine was made by the same companies, on the same equipment, by the same technicians as the
regular seasonal Flu vaccine. 4 The vaccine was made in a foreign country, and citizens of that country
refuse to get the vaccine. Flu vaccine is made in several countries. All countries are recommending
that their citizens get the 2009H1N1 vaccine. My vaccine is made by Sanofi Pasteur in Pennsylvania. 5 One of the US Navy's warships
had the whole crew vaccinated with the 2009H1N1 vaccine. Two days later half the crew died.
Honest folks, someone said this to me in the office. 6 After you get the Swine Flu shot, you have to be
quarantined for thirty days I passed this one on to the wife of one of my medical colleagues.
She said, "Oh please, give me the shot". I presume she wanted me to give her husband the shot, too. 7 "The Swine Flu shot is part
of the global conspiracy to depopulate the Earth." This belongs in the Black Helicopter
sightings and the Area 51 group. 8 "The Swine Flu shot makes you
go blind." This goes along with all the other things we were told would make us go
blind as teenagers.
I will be adding to this topic as I get more responses. If you have any, please call me. Dr. D.
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