What a Difference a Year Makes

by Lynn Beltran in Q Health | 0 comments

If any of you remember, it was around this time last year that all the headlines were about swine flu, otherwise known as novel H1N1 influenza. In my little world of public health, it seemed like that was all any of us could talk about. This was a emerging strain of influenza that had not been circulating in humans for over 30 years, and it was causing a lot of illness.

We know that this particular strain of influenza originated in pigs, hence the nickname swine flu, and the earliest reported cases were in individuals living in Mexico, several of whom died from complications of this flu. Once the initial story broke, it seemed that within a fairly short period of time, cases and deaths were reported in the United States and in several other countries; therefore, it was speculated that this was the looming scourge that could eradicate human life as we know it.

Essentially, everyone was in a panic over swine flu! One of the top legislators with a medical background recommended that everyone reduce their travel to a certain country just south of us … and took a lot of heat for that remark. Another thing that didn’t help matters were reports that not enough vaccine would be made in time to cover everyone.

Whenever there is a reported shortage in the flu vaccine supply, everyone wants a flu shot — even those who have not thought about getting the flu shot for decades. Frantic parents were calling us, trying to get the shot for their children; we found that others misrepresented their risks for getting H1N1 to move them into a high-priority category for the shot. In the early months, it felt like the supply would never keep up with the demand … and everyone stopped eating pork ribs.

Eventually, the swine flu hysteria of the 2009 season subsided, as did the number of cases. When all was said and done, we had determined that a strain of H1N1 influenza was circulating that differed from strains we had seen for decades. Since the majority of the population did not have immunity to it, rates of infection were slightly higher than in recent influenza seasons, and the severity of the flu itself was increased. The number of hospitalizations and the number of deaths due to influenza were also slightly higher. Public health workers also determined that people under 35 were most susceptible to this strain of influenza because they had not been exposed to any similar strains in their lifetime, nor had they had access to a flu vaccine that provided protection specific to this strain.

The good news was that it turned out to not be the influenza scourge that we all feared, and pork ribs are back on the menu. (By the by, eating properly cooked pork was never a risk for getting the swine flu.)

So, here we are again at the onset of the influenza season, and it’s time to discuss what we all need to know and do. Early data indicates that two main influenza strains are circulating, one of which is the H1N1 strain that we saw last year. Both strains are included in this year’s influenza vaccine.  Getting the vaccine means that if you are exposed, you may not get the disease, or if you do get the disease, your symptoms should be less severe and you are less likely to develop complications such as pneumonia.

In other words, get the flu shot. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that everyone get the flu shot, not just the very old, the very young and the very ill. Remember, the flu vaccine is designed to trick your body into thinking it has been exposed to the virus, thereby fooling your immune system into mounting a protective immune response to the disease. The shot may cause you to feel a little “off” for a day or two, but it does not cause the flu.

For a couple of months now, we have also been seeing a few other viruses circulating in the community that can cause flu-like symptoms. Mostly we have been seeing some adenovirus being passed around, which most often causes respiratory infection and bronchitis. We’ve also seen some rhinovirus, which is most often the cause of the common cold. Although both can cause flu-like symptoms such as fatigue and body aches, a way to differentiate between the flu or one of these other viruses is to recognize that influenza also presents with a fever of 100 degrees or greater. Antibiotics are not recommended for any viral infection including the flu, however if you are immune compromised, you need to watch out for developing pneumonia. Be sure to keep your health care provider in the loop.

That is the quick and dirty for this flu season — no pun intended. Again, be sure to get your flu shot!