19 Child Deaths From H1N1 Swine Flu This Week – Highest Thus Far

The CDC announced today that there have been 19 child deaths from the H1N1 swine flu this week, the highest weekly total since the H1N1 swine flu epidemic began in April of this year.

Latest H1N1 Swine Flu News As of Friday, October 30, 2009. Is the H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Safe? Where Can One Get the Vaccine?

In a recent poll, 49 percent of Americans stated that they believe the H1N1 swine flu vaccine to be safe.  Others, however, have concerns, especially about whether the preservative that is used in the vaccine can attribute to autism in young children.  The CDC’s position is that the vaccine is manufactured using the same techniques and thus is as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine.  While individuals having an allergy to an past seasonal flu vaccine or to eggs are recommended to avoid receiving the swine flu vaccine, the CDC states that it is safe for all others and that the risks of illness or death from the H1N1 swine flu is signficantly greater than the risk of any potential side-effects.  Thus far, it is estimated that 5.7 million Americans have been infected with the H1N1 swine flu and there have been over 5000 deaths nationwide.  Many hospitals are being swamped with H1N1 swine flu patients and 600 schools across the country have had to close because of the H1N1 swine flu.  More than half of the people who have been hospitalized with the H1N1 swine flu have been age 24 or under.  This makes the current strain of H1N1 swine flu vastly different than the typical seasonal flu, where most hospitalizations and deaths are among the very elderly.  Throughout the country, hospitals are being overwhelmed with the number of 2009 H1N1 swine flu patients, with the number of being seeking treatment being far above that experienced from the normal seasonal flu.   Meanwhile, the H1N1 swine flu vaccine remains in short supply, though 1.6 million new doses were shipped just this week.  Originally, the CDC has estimated that 120-140 million doses of the vaccine would be made available by mid-October.  Unfortunately, only 14 million doses of the vaccine were shipped by mid-October.  As of today, October 30, 2009, 23 million does of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine have been shipped.  Shipments have been to the states on a per capita basis, so all areas should have the same availability of the vaccine.  Unfortunately, demand is out-stripping the current supply of the vaccine.  Also, local health departments have adopted different policies as to the priorities in which individuals will be eligible to receive the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.  In states such as Maryland, the priority has been to provide the vaccine at public health clinics.  In states such as Virginia, however, the approach has been to primarily distribute the vaccine to school children.  Thus far, only elementary students in Virginia have received the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.  This differing approach to how the H1N1 swine flu vaccination as confused the public and made it frustrating for high risk individuals such as pregnant women to know where to be vaccinated.  Also confusing is the information being given out by doctors on how to treat the H1N1 swine flu.  The CDC has stated that at the first symptoms of the H1N1 swine flu one could take Tamiflu or another antiviral medicine.  But some doctors have cautioned that taking an antiviral medicine actually increases the risk that one will develop pneumonia.  Meanwhile, most doctors recommend taking Motrin or Tylenol to bring down any fever that one develops.   Meanwhile, an increasing number of doctors have recommended taking no aspirin, or tylenol or Motrin etc. and instead to use luke warm baths to bring down a patient’s fever.  Their argument is that the body needs to use its temperature/fever to help fight the virus.  Success has been reported using both approaches, while deaths of healthy individuals have been reported where no amount of treatment helped.  All of this creates confusion and frustration among the public as the public does not know is the recommended way of treating an individual infected with the H1N1 swine flu – and has no way of knowing of whether their personal physician is giving them appropriate treatment advise or not.  Hence, one of the things that the CDC needs to do is to share information with the public about what have been successful ways of handling and treating patients with the H1N1 swine flu so as to minimize its side effects and the risk of hospitalizations or deaths.  Unfortunately, if one goes to the CDC website for physicians, there is only information as to how determine what individuals should receive the vaccine and there is no information or guidelines on how to actually treat individuals with the H1N1 swine flu (i.e. such as whether to give a patient medicine such as tylenol to bring down a patient’s fever).  This has lead to physicans having to come up with their own protocal for treating H1N1 swine flu, with the recommended approach varying significantly from one physician to another.

New York Governor Declares a State of Emergency To Deal With H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic

On Thursday the Governor of the State of New York declared a state of emergency to deal with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.

White House Announces That Two Obama Daughters Have Been Vaccinated for the H1N1 Swine Flu

The White House has announced that both of the Obama daughters have received their 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccinations.

Virginia Reports 11 H1N1 Swine Flu Deaths Thus Far

The State of Virginia has reported that thus far there have been 11 H1N1 swine flu deaths in Virginia.

Two More 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Deaths In Maryland

Today Maryland reported two more swine flu deaths.  One was a 18 year old student.  Both were otherwise healthy individuals with no underlying medical conditions.  The latest two deaths brings the total deaths thus far in Maryland from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu to 12.

2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Now Widespread In All But Four States

The CDC has confirmed that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu is now widespread in all but three states.  The only states where it is not widespread are Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey and South Carolina.  This does not seem that there are not a significant number of people infected with the 2009 H1N1 swine flu in these states.  Rather, it only means that it is concentrated in only one or several portions of the states, instead of being widespread throughout the states.  As an example, most of Hawaii’s population is concentrated in Honolulu so it makes sense that the number of 2009 H1N1 swine flu cases would be greatest in Honolulu.  The same is true for Connecticut and New Jersey where, despite having a significant number of swine flu illnesses, the vast majority are concentrated in those urban areas bordering on New York City.  Nationwide, the CDC estimates that already over 1 million people have been infected with the 2009 H1N1 swine flu, while there have been an estimated 20,000 hospitalizations thus far and over 1000 deaths.  Over 100 of these deaths have been young children, highlighting what makes the 2009 H1N1 swine flu different from the normal seasonal flu, where most deaths occur only among the very elderly.  For reasons still not understood, however, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu hits the young the hardest.