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Flu questions? We have answers

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By MARY SHEDDEN

mshedden@tampatrib.com

Published: October 25, 2009

There's a lot of information circulating about swine flu, especially now that vaccinations have begun in the Bay area.

Sorting through it all can be difficult.

So we're answering many commonly asked questions at our Web site, TBO.com, and asking you to submit questions.

Here are some highlights of what we've received.

The CDC says that swine flu hits kids the hardest. But the statistics show the overwhelming majority of fatalities are adults. So isn't it more severe in adults under 65?

Erik, Seattle

You're right that swine flu fatalities do happen most with adults. It's the less serious and far more prevalent minor cases in which public health officials worry about children and teens.

This past week in Florida, nearly 14 percent of hospital emergency room visits were children and very young adults - from babies to 19-year-olds - with flu-like symptoms, the state Department of Health reports. Only 6 percent of visits were 20- to 49-year-olds who reported flu-like symptoms, and 2 percent were 50 and older with those symptoms. The weekly hospital report showed that those groups went to the ER less than 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Remember that far more than 1 million Americans have been hit by swine flu, and a majority suffered mild or moderate symptoms for a few days. Public health officials are targeting that larger group in hopes the effort will decrease the chances of more deaths.

Once you have had the H1N1 virus, can you catch it again?

Diane; Yorba Linda, Calif.

If you get the swine flu, can you get it again and do you need to still get the vaccine?

Beth, Hudson

You both ask one of the most common swine flu questions. And it's getting asked because the answer isn't easy or clear.

The specific H1N1 or swine flu virus can be caught only once, as your body will become immune. But it's important to know that there are few people who know for sure that it's swine flu they caught.

Because swine flu is widespread - and the symptoms are mostly mild - public health officials stopped asking doctors to test for the virus.

Most doctors are doing what's called a rapid test, which shows only that you may have a type of flu. So you're sick, but you really can't be certain with which virus.

Now, about vaccines. Swine flu vaccine is intended to prevent the specific H1N1 virus strand. The seasonal flu vaccine, which is widely available, prevents three viral strands that scientists predict will be prevalent this winter.

Each vaccine protects against specific viruses and will not help with the other.

The good news is that all the vaccines are voluntary, so you get the final say whether swine or seasonal flu vaccines are best for you.

Why did they open the schools? Why not wait until everyone had the shot and then open the schools; seems like a lot of people could avoid getting ill?

Sandy, Largo

When it comes to issues such as infectious diseases, timing is everything. And in the case of swine flu, everything went bad early.
Swine flu was identified as a new virus in April, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly tried to slow the spread of the disease, which we know has hit people worldwide and killed thousands.

Scientists started developing a vaccine for swine flu as soon as they knew about it. But it takes about six months for a safe, acceptable vaccine to be developed, tested and produced. That's why you're seeing the vaccine arrive now.

And that's also why you see a separate vaccine for seasonal flu; that vaccine's production was under way in April, when H1N1 emerged as a fast-spreading virus.

It would have been a logistical nightmare to keep tens of millions of students out of school until now. And it likely wouldn't have made a big difference anyway, considering the disease spread at summer camps and other places where kids congregate.

Until now, advice about hand-washing and coughing into your arm were the best prevention available.

I have sore throat and severe chest pain but no fever. Can it be swine flu without fever?

Crystal; Ozark, Ark.

I hope you've talked with your doctor or visited a local health clinic to get professional advice.

I can only share with you what we've learned about swine flu's symptoms. Yes, fever is the most common symptom people with flu experience, but it is not the only one. A sore throat and body aches can be a big part of the illness as well.

The most important thing to remember is that flu - like any disease - manifests differently in every person. Some people may be so sick they're in bed for days. Others may have a mild bout where they don't even realize their stuffy nose is the high-profile swine flu.

That's why it's important that you touch base with a doctor, or at least send yourself to bed if you're feeling sick. Young children, pregnant women and individuals who have compromised respiratory and immune symptoms are extremely vulnerable. You may feel OK, but the virus you share may hit someone else far more seriously.

Why do some people die and others don't? Do they die in their sleep? Why can doctors not help them?

Lisa, St. Petersburg

Thanks for your question, Lisa. Sometimes the simplest ones are the most important.

Like any disease, influenza affects each person differently. And sadly, some people have died from the swine flu, including more than 110 in Florida.

Those who are most at risk for getting severely ill and dying from swine flu are people with compromised respiratory systems. That includes small children - whose bodies are not developed enough to easily fight the swine flu strain - and pregnant women.

Others with respiratory diseases such as emphysema also are likely to get seriously ill if exposed to the bug.

These people don't necessarily die in their sleep. It's the infection in their respiratory system that's responsible for the death.

It's important to remember that it's not just swine flu that's deadly.

Every year, seasonal flu is responsible for more than 36,000 deaths nationwide. What's different this year is that swine flu is grabbing more headlines. It's an influenza scientists are still figuring out.

No one wants to see death from something as treatable as flu. That's why so many doctors are suggesting that people get vaccinated for both the seasonal and swine flu.

Vaccination is the best known prevention for the disease.

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