H1N1 Awareness

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Despite stories that continue to swirl through the news cycle, there is no evidence that the predicted outbreak of swine flu will become reality in 2009. But, there is also no need to let your guard down. There is a hard-hitting strain of influenza coming, in fact, already here but it has no connection to hogs or swine. It is H1N1, an influenza variety every bit as debilitating as its viral cousin.

“You cannot tell the difference by the symptoms,” said Blanca Cantu, spokesperson for the Dallas County Health Department. “The symptoms are so similar and given the fact that H1N1 is the only (flu) strain that is circulating it’s not important to distinguish between the two.”

As summer has turned to fall, Colorado’s outbreak of this flu strain has stabilized. While flu cases are still occurring they are not mounting nearly as rapidly as they threatened when schools and colleges opened for classes in August and September. The state’s largest college campuses, in Boulder and Ft. Collins, the Air Force Academy, were hammered with outbreaks early in the school year. And while things have cooled a bit, this flu strain is taking a toll.

By the middle of October, Colorado state health officials had attributed fourteen deaths to H1N1. Two of the most recent deaths caused by this flu strain occurred within a one-week period in Pueblo earlier this month. Both victims, a 37-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, were said to have had other health issues that may have played a role in their deaths.

But preexisting health issues, including asthma and obesity, two things plaguing many Latinos could complicate things. The Centers for Disease Control reports that these two factors could lead to more serious or longer lasting influenza in certain patients. Additionally, because many low-income families, oftentimes Latinos, hold off treatment because of lack of health insurance an emergency room is the first time they’ll see a doctor.

It was expected that the H1N1 vaccine would be ready by now and being given nationwide. But that’s been delayed and wholesale inoculations are on hold with no firm dates set for when vaccinations will begin. “It’s hard to say,” said Cantu. “When there is enough vaccine on hand to conduct a mass vaccination for the public we will announce that as soon as possible.”

When the vaccine is ready, Colorado health officials are urging pregnant women to be first in line for their shot. ... State Health is also urging those who care for young children to sign up early.

The last time a nationwide vaccine was administered against influenza was in the mid-seventies when a wave of swine flu was thought to carry severe consequences. In a handful of states, some receiving the shot suffered unanticipated complications resulting in paralysis and other long-term health problems. Today there is a new concern accompanying the H1N1 vaccine.

Thimerosal, a chemical containing mercury, a substance that has been associated with autism, is part of the H1N1 vaccine. It is a preservative and also kills bacteria. But the government says that the amount of thimerosal in a vaccine is microscopic and does not pose an additional health risk.

The government is not predicting how many deaths will be caused by H1N1. But, each year in the U.S. more than 35,000 flu-related deaths occur, many among older people or those with other health issues. Still, the government is confident that the vaccine that millions of Americans will soon be receiving will stave off a flu outbreak and prevent a repeat of the ‘great influenza’ of 1918. That outbreak claimed as many as forty-million lives worldwide.

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