Battle Against The Flu
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-01-10/battle-against-flu
The influenza virus is spreading quickly across the U.S. More than half the states are reporting widespread outbreak of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control report the season started earlier and cases are more severe than last year. Just yesterday, Boston declared a public health emergency. And flu triage tents are being set up outside hospital emergency rooms to contain the outbreak. The main flu strain being reported appears to be a good match to flu strains in this year’s vaccine. But many who got vaccinated are still coming down with the flu. And many more weren’t vaccinated at all. Diane and her guests discuss this year’s battle against the flu.
Guests
Dr. Thomas Frieden
director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Michael Osterholm
director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and director of the NIH-sponsored Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance; board member, National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity.
Dr. Kavita Patel
internist, Johns Hopkins Medicine; fellow and managing director of Delivery System Reform and Clinical Transformation, the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, Brookings Institution.
Dr. Donald Milton
professor and director, Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health
Dr. Leonard Friedland
V.P. and Head, GlaxoSmithKline North America Vaccines Clinical Development and Medical Affairs
Ask The Expert: Dr. Friedland Answers Your Flu Questions
Is this year's flu really that bad? How does herd immunity work? My church uses a common cup; what are the risks of infection? Dr. Leonard Friedland answered these listener questions and more. Some questions have been edited for space and clarity.
Dr. Friedland heads Clinical Development and Medical Affairs for GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines North America. Also a licensed pediatrician, Dr. Friedland played a key role in GSK’ s work with the U.S. FDA on the recent approval of Fluarix QIV, the first four-strain flu vaccine shot approved for U.S. use. It specifically is designed to help protect against the seasonal flu strains that have circulated in the U.S. for the past decade and should be available at the beginning of next year’s flu season.
Q: We have seen some antibiotics go useless over the years of using them and creating “super bugs” etc., that are resistant to our medicines. Do we risk the same issue by vaccinating people for the flu? Given that the vaccine needs to change year after year, what year does your panel think we will hit a wall where the tool of a flu vaccine will not work? Could this occur? – from willo via Web
A: This is not a concern with flu vaccines. People do not develop resistance from receiving annual influenza vaccines.
Q: My church is resistant to adapting communion customs (common cup) and we have a high median age and many people with medical conditions which should cause them to be very cautious. What is the current medical opinion of these practices? Also, I have many older friends obsessed with using cloth handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues. Isn't this an infection risk of some concern? – from Mountain molly via Web
A: The single best way to prevent seasonal influenza is to get vaccinated each year. Good health habits may also help protect the public against the flu. The CDC has resources on good health habits for preventing seasonal flu. Another very helpful website is Prevent Influenza, which includes a flu provider locater to help you find a healthcare provider near you who is offering flu shots. It’s not too late to get a flu shot today.
Q: Is this flu year really that bad? It sounds like it is being somewhat hyped. It is interesting that this hype coincides with the first commercials on television for Tamiflu, which in prior years was not advertised and seemed to be advised for severe cases or reserved for pandemic situations. Is the hype manufactured to sell Tamiflu? – from TR89001 via Web
A: The CDC has noted some elevated activities in certain areas of the country, but what’s most notable is that this has been an early flu season, catching many people by surprise before they’ve had a thought of getting a flu shot. It’s not too late, though, and people who have not already received a flu vaccine this season should do so now.
Q: My wife got a vaccine shot 2.5 months ago at a pharmacy and still has a sore arm. One said the shot may have been in or too close to the bone and I think her doctor said that the storage of the vaccine at pharmacies may not be the best and it may have calcified. Any thoughts? – from jhervitz via Web
A: Please have your wife speak to the pharmacist who administered the vaccine; not only to determine if follow-up care might be needed, but also because these type of issues are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.
Q: What about the principle that viral infections are good for us in that our weaker cells succumb to viral invasion and are purged from the body, and the same viral process serves to teach our bodies to resist? – from hananchrista via Web
A: I am a scientist and physician. In this case, I’m going to think like a physician: Influenza illness can be a serious; thousands of people are hospitalized right now because of it. The bottom line is that the U.S. is currently experiencing an early influenza season, with activity elevated nationally. People who have not already received a flu vaccine this season should do so now.
Q: If I am healthy and if I can isolate myself if I get sick, is it better for "herd immunity" that I NOT get the vaccine? – from Bonnie Raymond via Web
A: The term “herd immunity” typically refers to when a sufficient number of the population is vaccinated against certain diseases that it becomes more unlikely that those who haven’t or can’t be vaccinated still see a lesser risk of getting the disease. So while it is smart to avoid others when you are ill, this influenza illness can be a serious – complications can include hospitalization and in some cases, even death. I can’t stress enough that the U.S currently is experiencing an early influenza season, with activity elevated nationally. Bottom line: People who have not already received a flu vaccine this season should do so now.
Q: I am highly allergic to egg yolk. Is there a flu shot that I can get? Each time I go and tell them of my allergy, they say that I should not get the vaccine. – from Ben via Facebook
A: Do continue to discuss this with your healthcare provider; don’t think it’s a waste of time to ask – a good healthcare provider should be able to help just about any patient develop a winning strategy to help protect oneself against the flu!
Q: Why do doctors refuse to test for the flu virus? I have an 8-year-old child and she was never tested for the flu virus when I brought her in with the symptoms, even during the swine flu outbreak. – from edcosta via Web
A: I’m neither endorsing nor discouraging a test here. I just want to confirm that testing is available. Never hesitate to ask your healthcare provider, “Why…”
Q: Can you talk about just how the vaccine works? – from Kathleen via Web
A: Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body around two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.
Q: I had Guillian Barre syndrome in 1994-95. I was told that I could never get a flu shot because of this. Is that still true today? Or have guidelines changed? – from Hanerty from Web
A: People with a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine and who are not at risk for severe illness from influenza should generally not receive vaccine. Make sure to always alert your healthcare provider of your medical history. Regardless of if you should get a vaccination, healthcare providers can help you develop a personal strategy that may help prevent you from getting the flu!
Q: Regarding people getting the flu shortly after getting the vaccine-- seems like they might be more susceptible perhaps to the non-vaccine strains (and other things!) in that immune response window after they receive the shot. Thoughts? – from Pmichelle via Web
A: How well the flu vaccine works (or its ability to prevent influenza illness) can range widely from season to season and also can vary depending on who is being vaccinated. At least two factors play an important role in determining the likelihood that influenza vaccine will protect a person from influenza illness: 1) characteristics of the person being vaccinated (such as their age and health), and 2) the similarity or "match" between the influenza viruses in the vaccine and those spreading in the community.
Q: Are there long term public health risks associated with the flu vaccines? Will the public develop a resistance and make the vaccine become less effective? – from mstilp via Web
A: Over the years, hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received seasonal flu vaccines. People do not develop resistance from receiving annual influenza vaccines.
Q: What is the best vaccination for someone who does not have a full blown anaphylactic reaction to eggs, but a mild egg allergy? My employer has determined that my reaction is not severe enough, and will require me to get the vaccine or be fired. My son has a severe allergy to eggs, but mine is not that bad. I'm 50, in otherwise good health, unvaccinated RN for 20 years and have not had the flu. – from Gwen via Web
A: I’m sorry to hear of your dilemma, but I’m confident that your best path forward lies in discussing this matter with your healthcare provider.
Comments
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"apossner wrote:
Greetings, everyone, Adam Possner here, assistant professor of general internal medicine at George Washington University in DC.
On January 8 I had a poem I wrote about the flu vaccine read on The Writer's Almanac. Here's the link: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2013/01/08.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Best,
Adam
January 10, 2013 - 10:00 am"
Jeepers Doc, loved the poem, especially the part that linked our fears to the Kennedy Assassination!!
GWU. Let's see- When the Bush's dear Family Friend accidently shot the President, The Secret Service reported that the Surgeon operating on the President was so afraid of detonating the "exploding bullet" lodged in the President's lung that he had to stop several times to compose himself.
Then on the Tenth Anniversary of the shooting, you had to retract the whole story in JAMA??
I also noticed that the Thimerosal subject would not have been mentioned had not Diane (almost inaudibly, to be sure) brought it up.
In order to confirm G_d's honest truth, I tried again to see if, after an extremely aggressive vaccination program of many years duration, Flu death rates have declined. As usual, it came to naught because of CDC's willy-nilly data set chaos on the Net and Google's installation of Kill Switches on my PC that has rendered my amateur research impossible.
Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com
"and most doctors simply treat the symptoms'
I wish the show would have covered the issue that a fever could actually be beneficial to fighting illnesses. Its a rather complicated issue, and a fever over 104 should probably be treated, but the average fever from what I've read is part of the body's immune response at work and should be respected. Aspirin , ibuprofen, and acetaminophen are all fevers reducers, but are routinely prescribed for the flu .
Interested in other responses to this rather simple but ignored idea.
CHICKEN SOUP!!! The entire influenza epidemics and potential pandemics ARE here because of the poultry industry!!!
Were it not for our appetite for chicken ( or pigs since the Swine FLu is another zoonatic disease passed from animals to humans)and an industry that cares nothing about human health, worker treatment, or the mass torture of baby birds, we'd not have these growing threats combined with the fear of antibiotic resistence as the drug makers earn about 50% of their market shares from animal drugs.
Is eating the stuff really worth a possible mass pandemic? They stopped the research in the Netherlands on flu viruses as they were creating deadly strains. Why not stop the ROOT CAUSE, poultry farming. Demand stops, industry DIES. Better the industry dies then millions of people. The life and death of the birds is HELL to.
Perhaps WAMU producers will invite Dr. Michael Greger to be a guest to discuss his book, "Bird Flu, A Virus of Our Own Hatching."
Read this from dr.Jonathan V. Wright's news letter:
The FDA proposes Tamiflu for infants Worst flu-fighting idea of 2012?
But the FDA managed to squeak in a last-minute contender for the absolute worst flu-fighting idea of 2012.
They’re proposing expanding the use of Tamiflu…to babies.
That’s right–they want to give infants that very same drug that less than two months ago came under serious fire for being stockpiled by governments despite there being very little evidence of it being even mildly effective.
The FDA says they arrived at this ridiculous idea based on “extrapolating data from previous study results in adults and older children” as well as on supporting studies from the drug maker.
But one of the very issues targeted in the November article published in the British Medical Journal (one of the top medical journals in the world) was that there’s little evidence that Tamiflu actually works or is safe. Even worse, Roche has refused to release all of the data on the drug. ( see the next)
Even mainstream news outlets are finding it hard to give much support to the FDA. In one article from a big name in news, all they could manage was that Tamiflu “aims to help lessen the length and severity of the flu.” They didn’t even say that it DOES lessen the length and severity of the flu…probably because there’s very little hard evidence to support the statement.
The fact is there’s no good reason to dose your baby up on this questionable drug, but there are certainly a few good reasons not to.
First of all, the most common side effects of the drug include vomiting and diarrhea–the very things that could land a baby in the hospital for severe dehydration. And if you’re thinking those side effects sound an awful lot like the flu then you’re starting to catch on to why giving this drug to your infant just doesn’t make sense.
That’s not even the worst of it. Tamiflu has also been associated with side effects like severe rash, hallucinations, and abnormal behavior. And that’s just in the studies the folks at Roche have actually bothered to release.
The scary reality is that many well-meaning parents will follow the advice of the FDA and will soon be subjecting their children to doses of this potentially dangerous and useless drug. But you can help make sure your loved ones aren’t among those parents. Feel free to share this e-Tip with anyone you know who has small children.(See next)
Remember, the best way to fight the flu is to build up your immune system. Keep the family’s immune system in tip-top shape, and they won’t be bringing any nasty bugs home to baby. Common-sense measures like frequent hand washing and staying away from sick folks go a long way. And here are some immune-system boosters from Dr. Wright: Vitamin D: Get plenty of sun and take 5,000 IU daily (2,000 to 3,000 IU for kids).
Vitamin C: Adults should take a minimum of 3 grams per day (kids should take less). Dr. Wright also recommends taking the “bowel tolerance” level of C when you’re sick…meaning you should take as much as your body will tolerate without causing diarrhea.
For more flu-fighting tips visit the eTips archives at www.wrightnewsletter.com.
P.S. Rejecting the mainstream’s shady flu offerings doesn’t mean you have to go without protection. Our friends and affiliates at the Health Sciences Institute have compiled a comprehensive report on how to beat the flu naturally. This critical guide was first released at the height of the swine flu scare and remains essential reading for kicking the flu to the curb naturally, no matter what the strain. Click here to learn more.
Sources:
“FDA expands Tamiflu’s use to treat children younger than 1 year,” FDA (www.fda.gov)
Laura, we have to exercise some common-sense.. Build your immune system, do not poison your body with unproven means...