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What is going on with the swine flu? Here in Summit County it seems to be slowing down in schools. The public health community is predicting that the 2009 H1N1 influenza may infect half of the U.S. population, require 1.8 million hospitalizations, and result in 30,000-90,000 deaths. World Health Organization predicts that within two years, nearly one-third of the world's population will have been infected with the 2009 strain of H1N1. In the Ukraine, where there is a high percentage of deaths, the virus seems to have mutated and the current vaccine seems to be less effective. Norwegian health authorities said they have discovered a potentially significant mutation in the H1N1 influenza strain that could be responsible for causing the most severe symptoms among those infected. We do not know what will happen when the seasonal flu appears — which it hasn't yet. Can people get both at the same time? Only four of 2,472 strains from week 45 were seasonal flu strains. That means virtually anyone with flu now has 2009 influenza A (H1N1).
What is going on with the vaccine and antiviral medications? Due to production problems, the expected 45 million doses has in actuality been 27 million. So the first wave of infections will not be stanched by the vaccine. The U.S. is using the tradition production methods of using chicken eggs, where many companies abroad are using a more efficient cell culture method. The argument is that the traditional procedure will not require new regulatory tests. FluBlok, a new vaccine produced by a Connecticut company, can be produced faster in caterpillars than in eggs. This vaccine can reduce egg dependency and can be given to an estimated 7.5 million Americans who claim egg allergies — but it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biologic Products Advisory Committee. The FDA's safety vote was 6-5 against approval, primarily because of a lack of sufficient data, not any specific concerns.
Those who have succumbed to H1N1 are primarily in the class known as “other than healthy individuals,” although some seemingly healthy people have died as well. There is also evidence that the virus is becoming resistant to antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, so only severe cases should be considered for antiviral treatment. No adverse events have been reported as yet from the H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to experts tracking the vaccine's safety through several post-marketing surveillance programs — although rumors have been circulating about the dangers of the vaccine (including articles in this paper).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiology and surveillance division in Atlanta reported that a total of 327,093 doses of H1N1 vaccine have been administered, and so far there have been no evidence of adverse effects. The U.S. Department of Defense has put into place three surveillance programs. More than 30,000 vaccinations have been administered to military personnel throughout the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, Europe, Kosovo, and Japan, and more than 500,000 doses have been distributed within the DOD. So far no high-priority outcomes such as Guillain-Barré syndrome have been identified. The vaccine program is still in its beginnings, however, and it may be too soon to completely assess it' safety but given the choice of getting the vaccine or not, the advice is to get the vaccine. One reason is that rates of serious pneumococcal infections associated with H1N1 influenza are increasing around the country; the other is the virus could become more deadly in a second wave, which is what occurred with the 1918 pandemic.
Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen is a former professor of microbiology from Rutgers now teaching classes at CMC. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution.
What is going on with the vaccine and antiviral medications? Due to production problems, the expected 45 million doses has in actuality been 27 million. So the first wave of infections will not be stanched by the vaccine. The U.S. is using the tradition production methods of using chicken eggs, where many companies abroad are using a more efficient cell culture method. The argument is that the traditional procedure will not require new regulatory tests. FluBlok, a new vaccine produced by a Connecticut company, can be produced faster in caterpillars than in eggs. This vaccine can reduce egg dependency and can be given to an estimated 7.5 million Americans who claim egg allergies — but it has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biologic Products Advisory Committee. The FDA's safety vote was 6-5 against approval, primarily because of a lack of sufficient data, not any specific concerns.
Those who have succumbed to H1N1 are primarily in the class known as “other than healthy individuals,” although some seemingly healthy people have died as well. There is also evidence that the virus is becoming resistant to antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, so only severe cases should be considered for antiviral treatment. No adverse events have been reported as yet from the H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to experts tracking the vaccine's safety through several post-marketing surveillance programs — although rumors have been circulating about the dangers of the vaccine (including articles in this paper).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiology and surveillance division in Atlanta reported that a total of 327,093 doses of H1N1 vaccine have been administered, and so far there have been no evidence of adverse effects. The U.S. Department of Defense has put into place three surveillance programs. More than 30,000 vaccinations have been administered to military personnel throughout the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, Europe, Kosovo, and Japan, and more than 500,000 doses have been distributed within the DOD. So far no high-priority outcomes such as Guillain-Barré syndrome have been identified. The vaccine program is still in its beginnings, however, and it may be too soon to completely assess it' safety but given the choice of getting the vaccine or not, the advice is to get the vaccine. One reason is that rates of serious pneumococcal infections associated with H1N1 influenza are increasing around the country; the other is the virus could become more deadly in a second wave, which is what occurred with the 1918 pandemic.
Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen is a former professor of microbiology from Rutgers now teaching classes at CMC. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution.
