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An introduction and putting the latest H1N1 rumor to rest
Allow me to introduce myself: My name, as you can tell from my bio, is Paul Rega. I’m an emergency physician with specific interest in disaster medicine. I’m in the Department of Public Health & Disease Prevention and the Department of Emergency Medicine here at UT. Enough of that.
One of my duties here is to continue raising awareness about H1N1 be you student, staff, faculty, or whatever (I’m told there are a lot of “whatevers” out there). That means if there is new information about H1N1 coming from reputable sources (e.g. CDC, FDA, WHO, etc.), I’ll try to bring it to your attention in a timely manner. The more knowledge you have, the better able you will be to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your colleagues. Also, know that UT has developed and is developing strategies and tactics to minimize the H1N1 impact at the University.
The H1N1 virus (source: www2a.cdc.gov)
Anyway, since our community will be receiving the H1N1 vaccine shortly, I think we need to nip one rumor before it starts growing wings. According to Flu.gov, there is a story beating around the Internet that the vaccine is mandatory (http://www.flu.gov/news/blogs/vaccinevoluntary.html).
That is not the case. It is as voluntary as getting the seasonal flu vaccination. “Top federal health officials highly recommend that people get vaccinated, and they stress that the vaccine is the best defense against the 2009 H1N1 flu. People with underlying health conditions like asthma or diabetes, health care workers, pregnant women, caregivers for infants under six months of age, and children and young adults from six months to 24 years of age are especially encouraged to participate in this vaccination program. The vaccine will be available to anyone who wants it, and the decision to get vaccinated is up to each individual.”
However, there are discussions in and among healthcare agencies in local jurisdictions (e.g. New York State) that it should be mandatory for healthcare workers actively caring for patients. I have not heard anything within Ohio yet. We’ll see what happens when the vaccine becomes available in October.
That’s about all for now except to say that you are your own best defense: Good hand cleaning, respiratory etiquette, and cleaning off public equipment and space before and after you use it will improve your odds in not catching any flu bug.
September 29th, 2009at 3:48 pm
Welcome to blogging Dr. Rega! Glad you are here to educate our community and help us get ready for Flu Season!!
Krystal
September 30th, 2009at 11:30 am
When will UTHSC/ UTMC receive supply of the vaccine and will health care workers have accesss to get immunized first? Will there be immunization clinics planned for younger students who seem to be at a higer risk have significant illness from this virus?
September 30th, 2009at 5:00 pm
Dr. Rega,
Could you address the concern that the H1N1 vaccine has not been thoroughly tested, and therefore has been “rushed” to be distributed?
Thank you
October 1st, 2009at 4:48 pm
There have been a couple of questions that I need to address.
1) Priority in immunization will be based upon CDC guidelines. I will be posting a reminder on what those categories are. The H1N1 Committee here at UT is working at developing personnel and venues to provide these immunizations in an efficient and expeditious manner.
2) The second issue is safety. Is the H1N1 vaccine safe? I’ve wrestled with this issue over and over again. My reading of the literature is that this vaccine is prepared no differently than the usual seasonal variety. They have even developed a version free of thimerosal because of concerns of toxicity in some quarters.
So far, the H1N1 vaccine clinical studies are suggesting that these shots’ side effects are no different than the seasonal flu shots. The studies on the adults were so positive in terms of safety and efficacy that they began immunizing the pediatric population.
There are experts out there who really believe in the H1N1 vaccine and believe that it is safe. I know there are naysayers out there, but I haven’t heard of one with any specific stature or expertise whose opinion would carry the same weight as those scientists in CDC or NIH.
Having said that, we must keep in mind that no drug is 100% free of complications for every individual and healthcare professionals have been cautioned to look for any long-term complications and report them. As a physician, I always have to weigh the risks versus the benefits of each drug I order for a patient. This is true for every individual and it should be discussed with one’s healthcare provider.