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Do You Need to Worry About an Avian Flu Pandemic?

Fast Facts About Influenza and Flu Vaccines

The flu is a common and serious viral illness that affect roughly five to twenty percent of the population every year. Each year roughly 200,00 people suffer complications from the flu that result in hospitalization, and more than 30,000 people die of the flu or related complications every year according to the CDC. Certain groups of people are more at risk for complications than others, as discussed below.

Here are some other facts you may want to know about influenza:

• Flu spreads easily from person to person. Coughing, sneezing and even just breathing help spread the flu virus.

• You can catch influenza by touching tiny droplets of virus that have come to rest on another person or object after coughing or sneezing. That is why it is so important to wash your hands.

• If you have the flu you can spread the virus before you even realize you are sick. Many people will not experience symptoms of the flu for up to five days after exposure.

• Children can spread the flu virus up to 21 days after their symptoms first start.

• The CDC reports the flu vaccine is usually 70 to 90 percent effective for combating the flu.

What Flu Vaccines Are Available?
As recently as August of 2005 the FDA approved use of Fluarix, a new flu vaccine for individuals 18 years old and older. Flu season usually kicks into high gear sometime during the fall through early spring. Typically researchers start working on a vaccine to combat the flu roughly 8-10 months before flu season kicks into high gear. Flu can start in October and last all the way until May often. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that people start getting vaccinated in October or November.

The flu vaccine usually contains three different types of strains of influenza virus, those health experts think are most likely to cause flu in the upcoming year. Thus, a flu vaccine will only protect against these forms of virus. Because the strain of flu that affects people the most changes every year, a flu vaccine must also change every year to protect people against new strains or the strains most likely to cause illness each year.

Flu shots help to prevent the influenza virus in roughly seven or more of every ten people vaccinated. That means while the vaccine is not a 100% guarantee against the flu vaccine, it improves your chances for preventing severe illness substantially in many cases.

People Who Should Not Get An Influenza Vaccine

• Certain people should not get a flu vaccine. These include:

• Anyone allergic to chicken eggs.

• Anyone who has had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.

• Children under 6 months of age.

• Anyone who has a fever or other severe illness.

• Anyone with Guillain-Barre syndrome that developed six weeks or less after receiving a flu vaccine.

High Risk Groups For Flu

• There are certain categories of people considered ‘high risk’ who should get the flu vaccine. These include:

• People 50 and older.

• Anyone working in or living in long-term health care facilities or nursing homes.

• Health care workers.

• Children and adults 6 months and older who have chronic lung or heart conditions.

• Adults and children 6 months or older who need routine medical care, suffer from a compromised immune system or have other health problems that make them more susceptible to disease.

• Pregnant women who will be pregnant during flu season (the flu nasal spray should not be used by pregnant women).

• Children between the ages of 6 to 23 months old.

Anyone in these categories is at higher risk for experiencing severe complications from the flu, therefore the CDC recommends they get flu vaccines as soon as possible.

How Do You Treat Influenza Once You Have It?
If you have the misfortune of getting the flu, you can treat it. The best treatment is of course rest. You will feel extra fatigued and likely experiencing many muscle aches and pains if you have the flu. Thus, the best treatment is rest… and lots of it. That means taking a couple of days off work to nurse your body back to help. Here are some other steps you can take to relieve your symptoms:

• Drink extra fluids to help your body stay hydrated and to help combat fever.

• Consider OTC medicines like Tylenol to help relieve pain or muscle aches. Tylenol can also help reduce fever.

• Use a humidifier to help clear a stuffy nose and help you breathe easier at night.

• Consider asking your doctor about antiviral medications which if started early can help reduce the severity and length of time you experience symptoms.

You should always call your doctor or health care provider if your symptoms get worse or if you don’t start to feel better after a few days. Remember severe complications can result from the flu. It is important your health care provider examine you and begin early treatment if you feel you might be suffering some severe side effects or complications. These include any respiratory problems, wheezing or higher than normal fever that is not relieved with OTC medications.

Can You Prevent The Flu?

You can minimize your risk of developing the flu. These same steps may also help reduce your risk of complications from the flu. These include:

• Wash your hands often and avoid touching your face unnecessarily.

• Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick or displaying symptoms of the flu.

• Stay home if you feel sick to help prevent spread of any disease you do have.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands.

• Support your immune system by eating a well-balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and getting plenty of sleep.

Flu Vs. Cold Symptoms
Some people have a difficult time deciding whether they are suffering from the flu or from a common cold. The checklist below will help you distinguish between the two.

Flu Signs and Symptoms	Cold Signs and Symptoms
Fever usually ranging <102-104 degrees that may last several days.	Possible headache if nasal congestion is present but less common.
Body aches and Pains, muscular stiffness.	Usually no body aches associated with common cold.
Fatigue and weakness that is severe and debilitating.	Some fatique but usually very minor.
Sore Throat less common.	Sore Throat common.
Sneezing often not problematic.	Sneezing common.
Mild coughing sometimes present.	Severe cough more likely and respiratory distress often more likely.

Will A Flu Vaccine Prevent A Pandemic?
If you’ve listened to any news reports lately then undoubtedly you’ve heard the CDC and the World Health Organization express some concern over a possible new flu pandemic. Here are the fact you need to know about a possible flu pandemic and steps you need to take to protect your family from the flu this season.

You’re probably wondering what a pandemic is. An influenza pandemic is an outbreak of the flu that occurs worldwide. Pandemics usually occur when a new form of the flu emerges among humans. This new form of the flu often spreads rapidly and is usually resistant to any flu vaccines developed in the past. A pandemic is usually associated with more complications, death and even economic losses.

Pandemic influenza usually arises as the result of what scientists refer to as an “antigenic” shift in a virus. This simply means the influenza A virus suddenly changes dramatically, whether because of new changes or combinations of certain proteins of other substances in the virus. The new virus must start spreading rapidly from person to person to become a pandemic.

Have there been pandemics in the past? Yes. The well noted pandemics of the past included:

• Spanish flu – This flu spread between 1918 and 1919 and caused more than 500,000 deaths in the United States alone.

• Asian flu – The Asian flu resulted in roughly 70,000 deaths in the U.S alone.

• Hong Kong Flu – This flu occurring between 1968 and 1969 caused roughly 34,000 deaths in the United States.

While a vaccine isn’t likely to be available during the first stages of a pandemic, researchers can work on developing a vaccine once the virus is identified.

Key Facts About The Avian Flu

What is the Avian flu (otherwise known as the bird flu) that news reporters have been talking about? This is a type of flu virus that occurs naturally among wild birds. Normally this virus is not spread from human to human. The bird flu is however extremely contagious and has been passed from birds to people. Domestic birds including chickens, turkeys and ducks can all carry the disease.

Symptoms of avian flu include many of the ordinary flu symptoms like fever, muscle aches and fatigue but may also include severe respiratory distress, pneumonia and other complications that can be life threatening. Bird flu usually spreads through bird secretions like saliva, nasal secretions or through fecal matter. Avian flu, resulting from a form of influenza A virus called H5N1 virus is very contagious among birds and is a deadly form of influenza virus. Outbreaks of Avian flu among humans have been relatively few at this point. Remember at this point Avian flu can only be spread from bird to person, not from human to human.

Should you panic? No. At this point the risk of contracting Avian flu is relatively low. The CDC is recommending that health departments however consider the possibility of a pandemic influenza virus. This would occur if the H5N1 virus mutates and becomes transmissible from human to human. Fortunately the CDC is working together with the World Health Organization and multiple other agencies to prepare for a pandemic should one occur.

It is important that you remember the virus must first mutate before it can be passed from human to human. Until or unless that happens there is little risk that a pandemic will occur. It is also important you realize that in the past, many of the deaths that did occur from pandemics resulted from complications of the flu, not the flu itself. Fortunately today there are much more modern treatments available to treat complications from the flu. There is also a chance if the H5N1 virus does mutate, it will be transmissible to humans in a much less harmful form that it exists currently.

That said remember the researchers are working diligently on developing a vaccine for this virus should it mutate and become transmissible from person to person. In the meantime you should work on protecting your family from the common flu. The common flu that hits every year is much more of a threat at this time then the Avian flu.

Are There Other Measures To Take Beside Vaccination?

• Wash your hands thoroughly several times per day, particularly when out-of-doors and in contact with foreign objects or other people.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands. This is the fastest way to pass on disease.

• Keep your immune system bolstered so your body is better able to fight off any infection. That means you should eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, get plenty of exercise and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

• Wipe down surfaces of your home periodically with antibacterial agents.

• Always cover your mouth when you cough and encourage your children to do the same. Wash your hands after doing so.

• Take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement to support your health and well-being.

• Visit your doctor for an annual check up to make sure you are in optimal health.

There are several alternative health strategies you might also consider to help support your immune system. Remember a healthy immune system is necessary to fight any form of disease. You might consider some yoga, meditation or acupressure to help support your body’s health and well-being. A lymphatic drainage massage may also help clear toxins from your body and support your health and well-being.

Remember, when it comes to the flu your better off not taking any chances. Be sure you take adequate steps to protect yourself and your family, particularly if you are in a high risk category. If you have questions or concerns about the flu, be sure to check in with your doctor or healthcare practitioner. Together you can decide the best course of action for preventing the flu every season.