4,000 dead from swine flu

[30ashopper]

Federal health officials now say that 4,000 or more Americans likely have died from swine flu ? about four times the estimate they've been using.

CDC now says 4,000 swine flu deaths in US - Yahoo! News

If you've been frustrated in trying to get your kids vaccinated against H1N1 flu, you're not alone: Two thirds of parents who have sought vaccine for their children have failed to find it, according to a Harvard School of Public Health survey out today. That's no small deal, because 41 percent of the parents polled said they have tried to get their children vaccinated against swine flu. Hearing that big Wall Street firms Goldman Sachs and Citigroup got H1N1 vaccine doesn't do much to reassure worried parents that the system is directing vaccine to the kids who need it the most. Although almost 36 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been distributed, many parents are still anxiously waiting.

My area is typical. At present there's no H1N1 vaccine to be found through the county health department, and school clinics have been canceled for lack of vaccine. I was able to get FluMist for my child at a county clinic in mid-October, even though she doesn't have asthma or other chronic health problems that would have put her at greater risk of complications. All children and young adults from 6 months old to 24 years are a priority group for H1N1 vaccine because they have little or no immunity to this flu virus. But in hindsight, I wish the county had been stricter with those first vaccine clinics and restricted them only to pregnant women and children who are at greater risk than mine.

No Luck Finding an H1N1 Flu Shot? You're Not Alone - Yahoo! News

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for getting this stuff ordered and out to who needs it. These are the same folks we'll be placing in charge of our healthcare system here in just a few months. ;-) (snark snark snark)

 

[AlphaCrab]

And 4,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Wish they would create ant anti-war vaccine.

 

[30ashopper]

And 4,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Wish they would create ant anti-war vaccine.

 

[scooterbug44]

Question - where does swine flu rank as a killer?

My guess is that cars, cigarettes, specific cancers, lack of health care etc. still have it beat.

I am really pissed about the whole Goldman Sachs/Citigroup thing - one more reminder that "we the people" are getting screwed over by and for the old boys club!

What was the criteria for them to get it before others?

I typically don't get vaccinated until I know others in more danger get the chance first - probably why I usually get a fly shot in mid or late winter (though this year I got my non-swine flu shot in October as they were vaccinating at Publix).

 

[Mango]

I typically don't get vaccinated until I know others in more danger get the chance first - probably why I usually get a fly shot in mid or late winter

Are fly shots the shot Scooterbugs get?

On a more serious note, I read that gargling with salt water and doing sinus rinses, as well as hand washing, goes a long way in prevention. Keep your hands away from your face. I can tell you that H1N1 was rampant in New York when the virus surfaced here several months ago. I think I already had it, have asthma and another pre-existing condition. But, I hope the kiddies that haven't had it yet are able to get the shots ASAP.

 

[scooterbug44]

Hee-hee! :rofl:

Public school - I touch type and multi-task - hence the FLY shot!

I wash my hands because they are dirty or I have just used the restroom - and that sadly makes me wash them FAR more frequently than most of the population.

Washing your hands, covering up when coughing/sneezing, and not touching your face goes a long way in preventing the spread of many diseases - not just the oink-a-roo!

 

[Andy A]

And 4,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Wish they would create ant anti-war vaccine.

Oh, for CS, quit comparing apples and oranges.

 

[Gidget]

Statistics on flu deaths annually:



The number of influenza-associated (i.e., flu-related) deaths varies from year to year because flu seasons often fluctuate in length and severity. CDC estimated that about 36,000 people died of flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States. This figure includes people dying from complications of flu. This estimate came from a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), which looked at the 1990-91 through the 1998-99 flu seasons. Statistical modeling was used to estimate how many flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate was listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease. During these years, the number of estimated deaths ranged from 17,000 to 52,000.


In 2009, CDC published additional estimates of flu-related deaths comparing different methods, including the methods used in the 2003 JAMA study. The seasons studied included the 1993-94 through the 2002-03 flu seasons. Results from this study showed that during this time period, 36,171 flu-related deaths occurred per year, on average.




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[Andy A]

If I am reading this correctly, you are saying a great number of people die of the flu annually (aprox. 36000), Seriously, thanks for the information because it shows that regardless of what we do, a great many folks die of the flu each year just as they do of many other causes. It would appear that just possibly, the Swine Flu (H1N1) crisis is a joke.

 

[scooterbug44]

A large number typically die from the flu, but swine flu is more worrisome/getting more press because it kills those who would normally survive the flu.