October 25th, 2009 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Better Health Network
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At last weekend’s American Academy of Pediatrics meeting, a few of us were asked to comment to Good Morning American Weekend about our feelings about H1N1 (Swine Flu) and the vaccine, in particular.
None of us were privy to the comments each other made and I think you’ll find the consistency of what we all had to say incredibly reassuring: Pediatricians on Swine Flu Confusion
Yesterday, GMA ran a segment on “The Scramble for Swine Flu Shots” which includes advice from me and other experts about the delay in the H1N1 vaccine. This segment does a nice job putting the entire situation in a very healthy perspective.
And, just to clarify, my entire family will be receiving the H1N1 vaccination when it becomes available in our area. That’s how comfortable I am with it!
*This blog post was originally published at Dr Gwenn Is In*
October 19th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
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I’m working with a small team of primary care physicians in Vienna, Virginia. Part of their strategic business plan is to offer flu shots to local residents via office visits and house calls. Just last week I accompanied Dr. Alan Dappen on a series of flu shot house calls to the frail elderly. They were too weak to come to the office, but wanted to be protected from life-threatening flu. I was really proud to be able to care for them in their own homes and wondered how many emergency room visits we would avert this season with our strategy.
The answer may be “fewer than I thought” – but not for the reason I expected. As it turns out, a local pharmacy conglomerate has bought up most of the flu vaccine supply, so that our practice can’t get any more. Although we have hundreds of patients requesting flu shots, we just don’t have the goods. And I can tell you that the frail elderly (who would have benefited from our house calls) won’t go to the pharmacy to get them. They’ll be at risk for the flu, and will have to wait until we can get more vaccine – whenever that happens. Read more »
October 18th, 2009 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
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In a recent post, Swine Flu: H1N1 Flu Vaccine – Who Should Get It, Who Shouldn’t Get It and Is It Safe, a Healthin30 reader, Doriorio posted a comment and questioned the safety of the H1N1 Flu Vaccine.
Doriorio writes:
“Hi. Thanks for a great post. My pediatrician expressed concern to me about potential adjuvants in the H1N1 vaccines, saying that there are six manufacturers and potentially a wide variety in the vaccines among them. I know adjuvants are used more widely in Europe, but it’s not clear if the ones that may be used in the H1N1 vaccines have been tested for side effects. I think given the groups being prioritized for this vaccine, for instance infants, we should not be taking any chances in administering anything untested via vaccine. It conjures up the smallpox vaccine fiasco in the 1970s where the government had to set aside a vaccine injury compensation program for injured parties, some of whom were permanently affected. What do you know about adjuvants being added and the safety claims being made by the CDC when testing time has obviously been nonexistent.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
October 11th, 2009 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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There’s a disturbing statistic floating about parents’ view of H1N1. According to a recent survey by CS Mott Children’s Hospital, only 40% of parents plan to get their kids the H1N1 shot. The reason: “they are not worried about H1N1”.
This statistic completely stuns me given the amazing amount of coverage and data on H1N1. As a parent and a pediatrician, I’m floored that more parents are unable to see just how serious H1N1 is and why they need to immunize their children for this flu season.
Let’s tease through the facts so you have a better understanding why H1N1 isn’t a virus to take lightly, or for granted: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr Gwenn Is In*
October 9th, 2009 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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In April I co-authored, Swine Flu Vs. Soap: Our bet’s on the soap! with pediatrician, Dr. Gwenn O’Keefe, founder of Pediatricsnow. We gave a brief overview about the swine flu H1N1 and discussed preventative measures.
While the information remains the same in our post, I’d like to now add a little info about the the H1N1 flu vaccine.
Health information about H1N1 is circulating the web faster than tweets zip through cyberspace and it can be very confusing.
It’s like you’re stuck in a maze and you don’t know which way to go to get out. Information about the swine flu is circulating so quickly that it can even be frightening. It’s really important that you don’t panic.
Gather your information and talk with you doctors and nurses.
Information about the H1N1 flu vaccine Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
