Swine Flu
Four Seasons Pediatrics is carefully monitoring the swine flu outbreak. The information is rapidly changing. For the most up to date information, we invite you to click here on the
page, which is providing the most accurate information without the hype that you may see in the press and on TV. We believe that this is a good time to remember that the flu is an important cause of death in children and adults and why we recommend a flu shot for ALL children 18 and younger. Every year an average of 35,000 people die from the flu in the United States. It is unfortunate that those deaths are not seen with the same concern year after year. We have completed our flu vaccination for this year, but will start again in August or September. Should the outbreak of Swine Flu continue to increase and a vaccine become available, we will notify you through our newsletter. Please sign up for this today (be sure to click on the verification link after registering – this will be in your email).
We encourage you to be reassurred that the risk for swine flu severity is low at this time. Our main concern is how much this infection will be spread, as we know that any strain of flu has a risk for severe complications. The risk for complications could be 10-15 fold higher if the swine flu does rapidly spread. This is because the swine flu is different and we have little or no antibodies to it.
How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.
Attention is focused right now, to determine if this will be the strain that will hit worldwide or not. When a new strain spreads worldwide with little or no antibody protection, this is known as a pandemic. We experience a pandemic approximately every 30 years. Statistics would predict that we are due for one, but it is unknown when it will occur.
For now, your best protection is handwashing and avoiding un-necessary travel to areas that are high in cases (Mexico). For more information, visit the link above or the following link: