CDC: H1N1 can be serious in healthy people
United Press International

10-14-09

ATLANTA, Oct 13, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Data on 1,400 U.S. adults and 500 children hospitalized because of H1N1 indicate most had underlying conditions, a health official said Tuesday.

Dr. Ann Schuchat, director of the national center for immunization and respiratory diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are occurring in younger people, they're not occurring in people age 65 and older.

"In adults, the most common underlying conditions were asthma and chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease and immunosuppression," Schuchat told reporters in a news briefing.

"And in children, the most common underlying conditions were asthma and chronic lung disease, neurologic or neuromuscular diseases and sickle cell or other blood disorders."

However, this virus can be serious even in healthy people with no underlying conditions. We have seen and reported results from the autopsies, Schuchat says.

"In about 20 percent of the fatalities, what we saw was the influenza leading to a bacterial pneumonia. Sometimes it was the staph aureus including Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, sometimes it was the pneumococcus and that's where we're telling people that pneumococcal vaccine is important in protecting people from pneumococcal pneumonia," Schuchat said.

"Most people who develop H1N1 influenza will have an illness that can be cared for at home without needing treatment, but some people will have a very severe course."

<---- is wearing a surgical mask

On "60 Minutes" the other night they said the reason N1H1 isn't affecting older people as much is because those of us who were born before 1950 were exposed to some other kind of flu way back then which is giving us an immunity to this strain of flu.

So Pale is safe...

Sounds like it.

Is anyone getting or not getting the vaccine?

Not getting - it's all a hoax to induce more shopping at Christmas!

I can't decide, but I'm in South Dakota, and they probably won't have enough vaccine left for us anyway!

They ran out of it in my area QCD. So I headed to Vitamin shop to toke up on Vitamin C, RM-10, and I already get a good dose of Supergreen food and L-Glutamin Powder, which in addition to preventing muscle atrophy is a powerful immune system booster.

Plus you have to drive 80 miles to come in contact with another person....

Actually that's North Dakota. Here it's only about 40 miles.

My company is contracting our HIP to come in to give us all shots... great...

I mean, nice thought, but I got the flu last year from the shot.

Haven't decided. It isn't available in our are yet so I haven't had to make a decision. My pregnant daughter has been told that she has to get one but I am concerned about side effects. Everything you read says it is safe and pregnant women should get it, so I have to hope the doctors know what they are talking about.

Agreed.

How? It is dead virus. Do you mean you got some flu-like symptoms? Or maybe the shot they gave you was prior to a mutation of the strain

so Pale should be safe from the plague

I was out on my back for a full week with aches, pains fever and cough. I never had the flu in my life before this.

You're the second one to make that comment. I'm happy that we are all concerned about Pale.

ROR!

gin flu?

Sweetie, you cannot get the flue from the vaccine.

Either you already had it, or did not have the shot in time, or it was that week you gave up drinking and were suffering from withdrawal.

I have a friend who lives where H1N1 outbreaks are now happening. Both of her kids are immuno-compromised. She's on a list for the vaccine. Scarey!

We have two women hear whose grandchildren have had it and bounced right back thankfully.

either that or the Miscuit flu

I was cosidering that as well. I know I should have gone with my gut instincts.