Swine Flu - Preventing Exposure

 

Swine flu or the H1N1 virus as it is called by medical professionals, is beginning to spread in one of the nation’s most heavily populated state.  California with its large inhabitants is particularly susceptible to swine flu.  A recent report from the California Department of Health cited that there could be as many as 1 in 4 Californian’s who could contract swine flu this year.  As of October there were 219 deaths in California attributed to swine flu, that is up from 188 cases last month. 

 

From a current sampling of doctors around the state, many are reporting to the California Health Department that about 5 percent of their patients are showing symptoms of flu.  Previous years that number would be at 2 percent.  Of those presenting flu symptoms currently, 95 percent have been diagnosed as swine flu.  It is expected that the number of hospitalizations and deaths will increase and they will accelerate as the flu season continues.

California’s first 200,000 doses of swine flu vaccine was delivered last week.  Because of slow production and  a heavy demand for the vaccine, distribution has been sparse.  However, another 600,000 doses of the vaccine is expected in the coming weeks. The California Health Department says that they expect the state to receive over 20 million doses of the swine flu vaccine by the end of the year.  All swine flu vaccines are being paid for by the federal government. 

In California the vaccine distribution is primarily in the private sector.  Californian’s are being asked to check with their primary healthcare provider for the availability of the swine flu vaccine.  Public health clinics in California will in November begin to post announcements of availability of the vaccine as supplies are confirmed.  The Public Health Director for California, Dr. Mark Horton stated in a letter to health agencies  that “The most important thing is we’ve got the system in place to effectively deliver the vaccine and get it administered in an effective way across the state.”

The federal government issued a report recently saying swine flu could “cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the United States, concentrated among children and young adults. In contrast, the 30,000–40,000 annual deaths typically associated with seasonal flu in the United States occur mainly among people over 65. As a result, 2009-H1N1 would lead to many more years of life lost.”

The California Health Department issued strict requests that Californian’s need to be diligent about hand washing, staying home when sick and being prepared for disruptions the virus may have on our daily life.