Did You Get A Flu Shot?!

[Sachet]

TweetI get one every year & I already got mine~

[jack hust]

Tweetgot mine 2mts ago

[DOUBLE J]

TweetThanx for reminding me. I want to go get mine before I work out.

I hope they give it in the Delt. I don't think they could find room anywhere else.

[Sachet]

Tweet*high fives Jack*

Unfortunately, there's a strand that unexpectantly hit us that wasn't included in the mix.
The current flu shot only covers the three most likely strands expected to be a problem this year.
Since there's over a hundred strands of the flu, the shot won't keep you from getting a strand that it doesn't cover, but your symptoms will be less & your recovery time is faster..


Colorado is going though hell with the flu right now..

[Sachet]

Tweet

Originally posted by DOUBLE J
Thanx for reminding me. I want to go get mine before I work out.

I hope they give it in the Delt. I don't think they could find room anywhere else.

*lol* You're welcome, Double J

[FUZO]

TweetNEVER GET ONE. STAY HEALTH LOTS OF VITAMINS

[Blackfoot]

Tweetyeah, i got one but there is a strain of the flu goin' around and it apparently wasn't in the shot b/c i don't feel so well.

[god smacked]

TweetYou really only need it if your IMMUNE system is not 100%.

I trust doctors as much as I trust politicians!

[jsjs24]

Tweet[QUOTE]Originally posted by Crankin'steiN


Me too bro.

[Got Gear?]

TweetI get one free from my workplace every year. Got mine over a month ago...

[LOCO]

Tweetnaw... never got one, never will... i'm one of those nuts that think they are bad for ya...

[njjuicer]

Tweeti jsut got a 400mg test shot

[Sachet]

TweetThe Flu {Influenza}

Influenza Viruses

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the respiratory tract in humans {nose, throat, and lungs}.
The flu is different from a cold.
Influenza usually comes on suddenly and may include these 'flu like' symptoms:

Fever
Headache
Tiredness {can be extreme}
Dry cough
Sore throat
Nasal congestion
Body aches


Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia, as a result of the flu.
Millions of people in the United States get influenza each year & an average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza.
Anyone can get the flu {even healthy people}, and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age.
People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza.
Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.


How the Influenza Virus Is Passed Around~
The flu is spread, or transmitted, when a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends flu virus into the air, and other people inhale the virus. The virus enters the nose, throat, or lungs of a person and begins to multiply, causing symptoms of influenza. Influenza may, less often, be spread when a person touches a surface that has flu viruses on it.. a door handle, for instance and then touches his or her nose or mouth.

The Flu Is Contagious~
A person can spread the flu starting one day before he or she feels sick. Adults can continue to pass the flu virus to others for another three to seven days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons can still spread the virus to others.

How To Know if You Have the Flu~
Your respiratory illness might be the flu if you have sudden onset of body aches, fever, and respiratory symptoms, and your illness occurs during November through April {the usual flu season in the Northern Hemisphere}. However, during this time, other respiratory illnesses can cause similar symptoms and flu can be caught at any time of the year. It is impossible to tell for sure if you have the flu based on symptoms alone. Doctors can perform tests to see if you have the flu if you are in the first few days of your illness.


If You Get the Flu~
Rest
Drink plenty of liquids
Avoid using alcohol and tobacco
Take medication to relieve the symptoms
Influenza is caused by a virus, so antibiotics {like penicillin} don’t work to cure it. The best way to prevent the flu is to get an influenza vaccine {flu shot} each fall, before flu season.

Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms and particularly fever, without first speaking to your doctor. Giving aspirin to children and teenagers who have influenza can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome. Children or teenagers with the flu should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and take medicines that contain no aspirin to relieve symptoms.

[Sachet]

TweetWho should get a flu shot?~

People at high risk for complications of the flu and people in close contact with them {including household members} should get the vaccine.

See: People who are at high risk for serious complications from the flu


Who should not get a flu shot?~

Talk with a doctor before getting a flu shot if you:

1) Have ever had a severe allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous flu shot

or

2) Have a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome {GBS}.

Click here to learn more about Guillain-Barré Syndrome {GBS}.

If you are sick with a fever when you go to get your flu shot, you should talk to your doctor or nurse about getting your shot at a later date. However, you can get a flu shot at the same time you have a respiratory illness without fever or if you have another mild illness.

Why get a flu shot?~

An annual flu shot is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get the flu.

Influenza is a serious disease, and people of any age can get it. In an average year, the flu causes 36,000 deaths {mostly among those aged 65 years or older} and 114,000 hospitalizations in the United States. The “flu season” in the United States is usually from November through April each year. During this time, flu viruses are circulating in the population.

Why do I need to get a flu shot every year?~

Flu viruses change from year to year, which means two things. First, you can get the flu more than once during your lifetime. The immunity {natural protection that develops against a disease after a person has had that disease} that is built up from having the flu caused by one virus strain doesn’t always hold up when a new strain is circulating. Second, a vaccine made against one flu virus may not protect against the newer viruses. That is why the influenza vaccine is updated to include current viruses every year.

A third reason to get a flu vaccine every year is that after you get a flu shot, your immunity to the flu declines over time and may be too low to provide protection after one year.

Does CDC recommend influenza vaccination {flu shot} to reduce the likelihood of getting a respiratory tract illness that could be mistaken for SARS?

No. CDC does not recommend that influenza vaccination be considered as a way to avoid confusing influenza disease with an influenza-like illness caused by SARS.

Influenza vaccination is the primary means of preventing influenza and its severe complications, including pneumonia, hospitalization, and death. Complications from influenza infection most often occur among persons above 65 years of age, persons under 65 years of age who have certain medical conditions, and children under 2 years. Influenza vaccination is targeted toward these high-risk groups, all persons 50-64 years {because a high proportion of them have at least one high-risk condition}, health care workers, and household contacts of high-risk persons.

Influenza viruses are only one cause of influenza-like illness {fever, body aches, headaches}. Even during the fall and winter influenza season, many other infectious agents {including SARS-associated coronavirus} can cause influenza-like illness, and most influenza-like illnesses are not caused by influenza viruses {or SARS-associated coronavirus}. The influenza vaccine can prevent 70-90% of influenza-like illnesses caused by influenza viruses, but does not prevent influenza-like illness caused by infectious agents other than influenza viruses.

When should I get a flu shot?~

Beginning each September, flu shots should be offered to persons at high risk when they are seen by health-care providers for routine care or as a result of hospitalization.

The best time to get a flu shot, if you are in a high-risk group, is from October through November. You should avoid getting a flu shot too early, because protection from flu can begin to decline within a few months after getting the shot. Flu activity in the United States generally peaks between late December and early March.

You can still benefit from getting a flu shot after November, even if flu is present in your community. Vaccine should continue to be offered to unvaccinated persons throughout the flu season as long as vaccine is still available. Once you get a flu shot, your body makes protective antibodies in about two weeks.

The annual supply of inactivated influenza vaccine and the timing of its distribution cannot be guaranteed in any year. Information regarding the supply of 2003--04 vaccine might not be available until late summer or early fall 2003.

To allow vaccine providers to plan for the upcoming vaccination season, taking into account the yearly possibility of vaccine delays or shortages and the need to ensure vaccination of persons at high risk and their contacts, the ACIP recommends that vaccine campaigns conducted in October should focus their efforts primarily on persons at increased risk for influenza complications and their contacts, including health-care workers. Campaigns conducted in November and later should continue to vaccinate persons at high risk and their contacts, but also vaccinate other persons who wish to decrease their risk for influenza infection. Vaccination efforts for all groups should continue into December and beyond.


Vaccine Supply Updates 2003-2004

Prevention and Control of Influenza, Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices {ACIP}
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report {MMWR}, April 25, 2003/ Vol. 52 / No. RR-08.

Does a flu shot work right away?~

No. It takes about two weeks after the vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. In the meantime, you are still at risk for getting the flu. That’s why it’s better to get vaccinated early in the fall, before the flu season really gets under way.

Can I get the flu even though I got a flu shot this year?~

Yes. The ability of a flu shot to protect a person depends on two things:
1} the age and health status of the person getting the shot
2} the similarity or "match" between the virus strains in the vaccine and those in circulation.
When the "match" between vaccine and circulating strains is close, flu vaccine prevents influenza in about 70%-90% of healthy persons younger than age 65 years. Among elderly persons living outside chronic-care facilities {such as nursing homes} and those persons with long-term {chronic} medical conditions, flu vaccine is 30%-70% effective in preventing hospitalization for pneumonia and influenza. Among elderly nursing home residents, flu vaccine is most effective in preventing severe illness, secondary complications, and deaths related to the flu. In this population, the vaccine can be 50%-60% effective in preventing hospitalization or pneumonia and 80% effective in preventing death from the flu.

Many people think that “the flu” is any illness with fever or cold-like symptoms, or any illness with stomach or intestinal problems, such as vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea. They may expect flu vaccine to prevent these illnesseses. But flu shots are effective only against illness caused by flu viruses, and not against other causes of fever, colds, or gastro-intestinal illnesses caused by other viruses.

How are the viruses for flu shots selected?~

Flu Strains for Vaccine Are Carefully Selected
Each year, many labs throughout the world, including in the United States, collect flu viruses. Some of these flu viruses are sent to one of four World Health Organization {WHO} reference labs, one of which is at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC} in Atlanta, for detailed testing. These laboratories also test how well antibodies made to the current vaccine react to the circulating virus and new flu viruses. This information, along with information about flu activity, is summarized and presented to an advisory committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration {FDA} and at a WHO meeting. These meetings result in the selection of three viruses {two subtypes of influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus} to go into flu shots for the following fall and winter. Usually one or two of the three virus strains change in the vaccine each year.

What are the risks from getting a flu shot?~

The viruses in the flu shot are killed {inactivated}, so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The risk of a flu shot causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, may rarely cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. Almost all people who get influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it.

What are the side effects that could occur?~

Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
Low grade fever
Aches
If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot and usually last one to two days.

Can severe problems occur?~

Life-threatening allergic reactions are very rare. Signs of serious allergic reaction can include breathing problems, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heartbeat, or dizziness. If they do occur, it is within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. These reactions are more likely to occur among persons with a severe allergy to eggs, because the viruses used in the influenza vaccine are grown in hens’ eggs. People who have had a severe reaction to eggs or to a flu shot in the past should not get a flu shot before seeing a physician.

Guillain-Barré syndrome
Normally, about one person per 100,000 people per year will develop Guillain-Barré syndrome {GBS}, an illness characterized by fever, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. In 1976, about 46 million U.S. residents were vaccinated against swine flu, and 532 of them developed GBS. Thirty-two died. This number of cases was greater than expected and established a link between the swine flu shot and GBS. Since then, concern has been raised about a possible link between other, non-swine flu vaccines and GBS.

What is GBS?~

Guillain-Barré {pronounced ghee-YAN bah-RAY} syndrome is a disease in which the body damages its own nerve cells {outside of the brain and spinal cord}, resulting in muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GBS can last for weeks to months and 5 to 6% of people who develop GBS die. Most people eventually recover completely or nearly completely, but some people have permanent nerve damage. GBS affects people of both sexes and all ages, and has been reported in all races.

What causes GBS?~

It is thought that GBS may be triggered by an infection. The infection that most commonly precedes GBS is caused by a bacterium called Campylobacter jejuni. Other respiratory or intestinal illnesses and other triggers may also precede an episode of GBS. In 1976, vaccination with the swine flu vaccine was associated with getting GBS. Several studies have been done to evaluate if other flu vaccines since 1976 were associated with GBS. Only one of the studies showed an association. That study suggested that one person out of 1 million vaccinated persons may be at risk of GBS associated with the vaccine.

More facts about potential side effects of the influenza vaccine can be found in "Prevention and Control of Influenza, Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices {ACIP}."

What should I do if I have had a serious reaction to influenza vaccine?~

Call a doctor, or get to a doctor right away.

Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when you got the flu shot.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System {VAERS} form, or call VAERS at 1-800-822-7967.
VAERS website

How can I learn more about influenza vaccine?~

Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
Call your local or state health department
Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC} at:
1-800-232-2522 (English)

1-800-232-0233 (Español)

[Sachet]

TweetFlu Sickens More Than 6,300 in Colorado


By BEN KIECKHEFER, Associated Press Writer

DENVER - The flu has sickened more than 6,300 people in Colorado and killed at least five children, and flu season is still a month from reaching its usual peak, authorities said.

Ten states are currently dealing with a widespread flu outbreak, most of them the West, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Colorado reported 6,306 cases Wednesday, an increase of 1,619 from Monday. Although it's early in the season, Colorado has already had more cases than in the previous two flu seasons combined, 6,239. Usually, the flu peaks in January.

A 2-year-old and a 4-year-old from suburban Thornton died of the flu this week, following the deaths last month of children ages 15, 8 and 21 months. State officials were trying to determine if the death of another 2-year-old was caused by flu, and officials in Colorado Springs on Wednesday confirmed the death of a sixth-grader in Colorado Springs School District 11, possibly from the flu.

Reports about the flu have prompted a run on health clinics for vaccinations. Health department workers in El Paso County alone booked most of its 1,200 available inoculations by late Wednesday and were making appointments for 1,300 more they expected to have available.

For those it hasn't yet sickened, the threat has prompted some lifestyle changes.

Three-year-old Alyvia Gonzales showed up at day care Wednesday with a big can of spray disinfectant.

Her mother, Richelle Gonzales, said the Auraria Child Care Center asks parents for disinfectant, tissues and other supplies from time to time, and it appears to be working. So far, only one of the center's 295 children has become seriously ill with flu.

"I think it's one of those things," Gonzales said. "You keep your kids healthy. If you're going to get it, you're going to get it."

Carole Healer got a flu shot for herself and her 2-year-old daughter Halle, mostly to protect her 4-month-old daughter Gwen. Another precaution, she said, is "a lot of hand washing."