How to Get the Flu Protection You Need

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By Richard Ferri
eHow Contributing Writer

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Get the Flu Protection You Need

The 2009 flu season is in full swing and holds the potential to be one of the most controversial health issues of the year. Good old “regular flu" (also known as “seasonal flu”) hits Americans hard each year. An estimated 36,000 people die from seasonal flu annually, with over 200,000 people requiring hospitalization. Despite this horrific yearly event, the mainstream media pays little attention to this highly preventable national catastrophe. This year, however, with the new flu strain H1N1 (formerly known as “swine flu”) making headlines, influenza is finally hitting the front page of the public’s attention. Even the President of the United States has talked about the possible emergence of an H1N1 breakout as a “national emergency." President Obama took this extraordinary step to help Americans focus on prevention of all types of flu and not just H1N1. The presidential declaration helps clear away some of the usual bureaucracy that can impede health officials in a large-scale emergency.

The double-edge sword of H1N1 is that while this new strain of virus has brought a lot of attention to the flu issue itself, there is still some concern about where, or even if, to get the standard seasonal flu vaccine. The short answer is: “yes!” Seasonal flu strains change every year, and new vaccine is created to help with the prevailing strains most likely to impact people each flu season. The flu virus changes every year and so does the vaccines that prevent it from infecting millions.

Adding to this confusion is the fact that H1N1 vaccine supply is limited and the vaccine is taking longer to make (it has to incubate in an egg substance) much longer then expected. So the 40 million doses that were being promised in the month of October has been cut in half to only 20 million doses being possibly available. The lack of H1N1 vaccine has significantly increased the demand for seasonal flu vaccine, which is leading to the seasonal vaccine being hard to find.

Everyone needs to get the flu protection they need in the potential wake of an H1N1 epidemic. This article is going to help you navigate your way though the influenza maze, which has been created by all of the talk, counter-talk and rabble rousing. In this article I will help you to understand the real healthcare facts and dismiss healthcare fiction.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A calm, common sense approach to health and illness prevention
Understanding of how a virus is transmitted
Knowing how to protect yourself and others from becoming infected
Knowledge regarding flu vaccine availability

Step 1

Know Your Stuff

Be aware of the basics of influenza as an illness. Influenza ("the flu”) is a virus that changes and mutates every year depending on where in the world you are located. You need annual protection from this seasonal strain of flu virus. In general, a flu virus is fairly hardy and is easy to pass to another person by touching a contaminated surface, coming into contact with someone already infected or by airborne inoculation. To protect yourself against the flu: stay home if you are sick and avoid crowds, stay away from people with acute illness, wash your hands frequently and get plenty of rest, a proper diet and exercise. Refer to my article: “How to Stay Healthy During the Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic (see Resources below).

If you are a smoker, stopping is always the best option; however, cutting down will help reduce your chances of getting the flu. Remember, any tobacco product use always damages your lung tissue and leaves the respiratory tract more susceptible to picking up a virus or illness.

Frequent hand washing or use of an alcohol-based sanitizer is a good way to prevent many illnesses. Give everyone a gentle reminder in your household of the necessity of this simple act of prevention. Refer to my article: "How to Effectively Wash Your Hands" (see Resources).
Step 2

Get Vaccinated Against the Seasonal Flu

One of the hidden benefits of the H1N1 virus is that the public is now more aware of the need for annual seasonal flu vaccines. Get your vaccine today. While there is a lot of talk about potential “dangers” associated with flu vaccine, it is important to remember the scientific fact that there is no clinical study to support the doomsayers. Not one! No credible research study has ever produced any evidence that flu vaccines or the use of the preservative thimeorsal (a mercury-based product) has caused autism or any other significant adverse reactions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is constantly examining this issue, and you can catch up on the latest data at their website (see Resources). Bottom line: vaccines are safe and prevent very harmful illnesses!

With all the public awareness of flu and prevention, any vaccine can be hard to find in some areas. You may call your local public health department or Visiting Nurses Association for more information in your area. You can also visit RightHealth to locate vaccine (free and otherwise) in your area (see Resources).
Step 3

Protect Yourself From the H1N1 Virus

H1N1 is an unusual or novel strain of influenza that first appeared in April 2009. Currently, there is no known natural immunity to H1N1. The symptoms of infection are the typical flu-related symptoms such as fever greater than 100 degrees F with cough, sore throat, stuffy nose and sometime diarrhea and vomiting. Scientists believe that people are contagious with H1N1 one day before symptoms appear and up to 7 days after diagnosis is confirmed.

H1N1 is diagnosed along the lines of clinical symptoms outlined above along with a nasal culture. The value of doing this labor-intensive testing and postponing treatment, however, is not likely the best way for clinicians to proceed according to a recent report on Newsday.com. Testing, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, is best reserved for selected individuals with multiple medical problems or highly unusual cases. What it all boils down to is that it is better to get treated sooner rather than later, and knowing the exact strain of which flu virus is making you sick is rather academic. There isn’t any need to panic over this approach. In medicine, we frequently treat many flu or viral conditions presumptively before a conclusive test, because viruses run a certain course, and the earlier treatment is started, the better off the patient will be. To find out the latest about prevention research specific to H1N1, visit Swine Flu Reporter (see Resources).

The availability of H1N1 vaccine is in short supply due to demand and the unforeseen long manufacturing process, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging clinicians to follow very strict guidelines on who should get the vaccine. This approach will help those at the highest risk and also help the general population. Vaccinating high-risk populations is a demonstration of the concept of “herd immunity." Simply put, if the most vulnerable of the herd are vaccinated, they will not get the disease, so it will not pass on to those in the general population.

H1N1 is a serious virus and it needs the public’s attention, but remember, while it is a “novel” strain of influenza, it is still a flu virus. Using common sense, eating a balanced diet, resting and avoiding people known to be ill may be the best prevention interventions of all.