Truth About the Flu and H1N1

H1N1, better known as Swine Flu, has gotten a lot of attention since the pandemic began early this year.  There is so much news, its hard to decipher between fact and fiction.  OCNewschannel sat down with Dr. Philip Robinson, doctor of infectious diseases at Hoag Hospital for some straight talk.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE FLU??  
fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose and muscle aches and pains are really the most common symptoms for both the H1N1 and seasonal influenza... so, if you develop fever and maybe one other symptom, that would be an indication where you really need to consider whether you have influenza.
WHO IS BEING AFFECTED BY THE H1N1 FLU?  
with seasonal influenza, it really affects those who are older for H1N1 the average age for admittance to the hospital is only 29 and the average age of death so far is 26. 
WHO SHOULD GET THE H1N1 VACCINATION?
the CDC recommends that anyone less than 24 gets vaccinated, all the way down to 6 months  
the H1N1 vaccine is also highly suggested for: 
1.anyone in contact with a child 1 day to 6 months old
2.anyone from 24-65 with an underlying chronic medical condition
3.pregnant women and those with lung conditions
IS THE VACCINE SAFE? 
weve given seven-hundred-fifty million doses of the influenza vaccine over the last 15 years and the H1N1 vaccine is prepared exactly the same way as the seasonal influenza... we have been monitoring very carefully (for any trends in adverse effects and the government is very proactive in making sure that all of those events are reported) and to date weve seen no unusual side effects from this vaccine.
RUMOR HAS IT THAT ITS BETTER TO JUST GET THE FLU SO YOUR BODY CAN BUILD IMMUNITY.  
in no case is getting the disease safer than getting the vaccination.  The disease can interact with different people in different ways and if you get the disease, you never know what they outcome will be.  We know the outcome for the vaccinations, theyre very safe.
HOW CAN I PROTECT OTHERS AND MYSELF FROM THE FLU?  
theres the old Dracula thing cough in the sleeve or tissue make sure after you do so to wash your hands you can use alcohol based or soap and water"
And,   
IF YOURE SICK, STAY 6 FEET AWAY FROM OTHERS 
IF YOURE HEALTHY, STAY AWAY FROM THOSE WHO ARE SICK 
MAKE SURE YOURE KEEPING COMMUNITY COMPUTERS AND TELEPHONES SANITIZED
And finally, 
"The vaccine is by far the most important way to protect yourself from getting this infection.  Its far more dangerous to get the infection than it is to get the vaccine."
For more information and where to get the vaccine, visit ocnewschannel.com.  Stay well, Im Jennie OHagan for ocnewschannel.com

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• H1N1
• swine
• flu
• orange
• county
• oc
• newschannel
• hoag
• hospital
• truth
• lies
• doctor
• news

[gangster8912]

haha good one...

fyi... you cant get the infection without taking the vaccine