Children seem especially susceptible to H1N1 virus

Updated!



The deaths of 43 children between September and early October are being attributed to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic; however, Americans think the press is overstating flu danger and is split over whether they should be vaccinated, according to a new poll.

In all, 86 U.S. children have died from H1N1, commonly referred to as the swine flu, since it arose last spring, say officials from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has counted 40 or 50 child deaths for the entire flu season in some past winters.

It is unknown how long the swine flu outbreak will last. Still, a chorus rails against flu shots. Websites and talk radio shows quoting dubious sources are whipping up fear that prevents many from seeking out the vaccine.

According to the New York Times, people are expressing confusion over the making of the flu vaccine and whether it is more dangerous than the virus itself. Many are concerned that the vaccines are new and untested. However, officials from the CDC and others have taken pains explaining that the swine flu vaccine is made using the same techniques as seasonal flu shots. Also, clinical trials were conducted, officials say, albeit on a smaller scale.

Information, misinformation and disinformation – a fancy word for “lie” - all flow at the speed of light across social media. People will sort through it and come to their own conclusions.

I realized the futility of putting thought into a message and having is misconstrued or warped. When I was reporting news out of New Haven, Conn., in the mid-90s, a reader once said to me, “I appreciate what you write and I see what you are doing. You tell the people what’s going on and how they can get involved. All you have to do is read in between the lines and…”

The stories the reader spoke about could have been about the latest battle between the Board of Aldermen and the mayor’s office, or problems in public housing. Or maybe they were about some slumlord that was sliding by because he was politically connected.

Regardless of what they were about, I thought my stories were clear, to the point.

“Thank you,” I replied, “but I do not write in between any lines. I write everything I hear and see. I write in plain English so everyone can get it and decide what is best for the community.

The reader seemed to understand what I said. Good reporters construct accurate, fair and balanced stories that edify and/or serve an audience. Readers, viewers, listeners do not have time to read “in between the lines.” News and information should be easy to break down and digest and it should be sourced.

I think the news media for the most part has done a good job of explaining the pros and cons of the H1N1 vaccine. Still, there is no accounting for the way people interpret even the most straightforward news and information, which is why so many members of the public have warped views of what is going on.

According to the Pew survey, there is even evidence that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to get the H1N1 vaccine are. Why? Because elephants, despite their memories, can’t remember the Spanish influenza pandemic of the 1918? For what it is worth, I am a registered independent. I have done my own research and have read much about the groups that could benefit from the H1N1 flu shot. I am going to take the shot.

...Still waiting...

My new cardiologist in Long Branch, N.J., is making me miss my old cardiologist at Northwestern Medical Faculty.

I am still waiting for the results of an echocardiogram to determine whether my heart, affected by sarcoidosis, is better or worse after months of treatment with prednisone, a corticosteroid, and methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug. The test was administered on Oct. 8. As of today - Oct. 15 - the results have not been read.

I called the cardiologist’s office today – again! I am told he is unavailable until Oct. 22 and that the report has yet to be read.

Grrrrr…The hairs on my arms feel like they are standing at attention…

I am told a nurse will call me back. I tell the receptionist at Monmouth Cardiology that that is the third time this week that I have been told a nurse will...

Tick, tick, tick…I feel the prednisone-fueled anger welling up in my body. I note to myself that the rage intensifies without making my pulse race. The Incredible Bulk (I don't have the Hulk's rippling muscles; the Bulk is accurate) can take no more! He will yell! He will smash! He…is disarmed by the reception’s polite demeanor.

“I am so sorry we are keeping you waiting and I understand how you must feel. All I can say is if this has been an emergency, we would have immediately contacted you.”

Well, I can live with that through the weekend. Still, you people are no Northwestern Medical Faculty. I would have had an answer by now. I will be calling Monday.

Writer's now cautious about next flu shot

My internist does not believe that my recent illness, which included "flu-like" symptoms that laid me low from Sept. 19 to Sept. 30 had anything to do with the seasonal flu vaccination shot.

"The virus is dead, you know that?" he said, referring to the shot.

"Yeah, I know the virus is dead. However, the Centers For Disease control even concedes that some people get sick from flu vaccinations," I responded. I don't want him to be on the defensive. I trust him, but I also want him to know I pay close attention to everything in connection with my on-going fight against sarcoidosis.

"Well, we may never know" what caused the illness, he said. And he is right. I take prednisone to fight the sarcoidosis in my heart and lungs. The drug suppresses the immune system, which during sarc flareups goes haywire and attacks vital organs.

The prednisone stops the attack but leaves the immune system gate wide open to be stormed by a host of germs and viruses. We'll never know where I picked up a bug.

I could have caught a nasty cold from someone in the mall, at a doctor's office, a super market, the movie theater, the library or book store - which is where I am writing this blog right now - someone needs to scrub that men's bathroom here, yo. Really.

The point is that I could have touched a door knob anywhere, picked up a germ, touched my mouth or rubbed my eyes and voila!. Instant illness.

Well, not instant....takes a few days to develop...Trouble is, it used to take a couple of days to get over the common cold. Now, on prednisone, it takes much longer and there's always a chance it could get worse.

That's why I am constantly washing my hands, using hand sanitizer, watching what's being sprayed in my direction (which sounds more disgusting than it is, I reckon). The internist recommends I stay in and away from places where crowds gather.

Stay in for the entire fall and winter? Fat chance. But I will avoid the crowds, which may mean scrapping plans to see my favorite band Living Colour later this month. That is a bummer, but I'll catch up with them eventually. Shopping, writing at B&N, I'll do all of that off-peak.

That big dude in the corner of B&N in Brick or Howell, the guy typing away while wearing a WWI gas mask... Might be me. Feel free to come over and say hello.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I would be among the first in line rolling up my sleeve for the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination. People with compromised immune systems should get it, the experts say. However, on the wake of my experience with the seasonal flu shot, I'm adopting a wait-and-see attitude. The cardiologist is cool with it.

"So maybe you allow a few weeks to go by and see what happens to the people who take the shot. You're a journalist so you'll be watching and researching anyway," said a cardiologist I visited this week. I was trying him out; thinking about employing him in my fight against sarc.

"So I should not take the shot, sit back and see if millions of people who get it die before I get it?" I asked.

"That's what I would do," the cardiologist responded.

He's hired. A man after my own heart.

...Good show, Chicago...

Too bad that President Barack Obama could not persuade the International Olympics Committee to award Chicago the 2016 Summer Olympics just on the off-chance that John L. Perry and the people at Newsmax.com who have supported him, and the Glenn Becks and Michael Steeles across our great land suffer a collective aneurysm from shock and die.



That was mean, I know. However, it wasn't unpatriotic, a trait demonstrated routinely by the Perrys, Becks and Steels of this nation. They continously wish ill against the country and its sitting president.

Perry even wrote how the country might benefit from coup d'etat - a military overthrow because one group one and another group lost the national election, the way it is explained in the U.S. Constitution, you know? Newsmax.com published it and then took it down when readers objected. I guess the people that run that site are only brave then not challenged.

Steele actually argued that winning the Olympic bid does nothing to immediately help the country. It would be a big confidence boost to a nation still undergoing tough times and it will mean jobs that start way before 2016, Mike. It takes a while to build for an Olympics.

Do you not undetstand that because your head is made of steel?

I'm sure they and others will take glee in the fact that the country lost the chance to showcase its splendor to the internationally community. I an almost hear Beck manically screaming, "We lost! Hip-hip hooray!"

So, Chicago didn't win. It's still a great city it can now turn its energy to worthwhile public projects, including improving infrastructure and schools and getting a handle on youth violence. Chicagoans, when they put their collective minds to it, can solve any problem.

Much luck, Chicago. Your success would be good for the country and it would also make the Perrys, Becks and Steels of the land choke, which is fine with me...