Update on Influenza

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) checks on flu disease activity weekly. In their Weekly Digest e-mail they described the use of the following key indicators for their report:

1) Visits to doctors for "influenza-like illness"

2) hospitalization rates for laboratory confirmed flu

3) deaths from pneumonia and influenza

4) degree of widespread influenza activity

5) types of influenza viruses identified.

They reported that illnesses like influenza decreased nationally this past week except for the states of Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island where there were reports
of increased influenza activity, and the number of visits to doctors for such illnesses was higher than normal. Hospitalization rates for "laboratory confirmed" flu was higher than normal for this time of year, and the highest hospitalization rates were reported in children 0-4 years of age.

The proportion of deaths due to pneumonia and the flu has also exceeded normal expectations for the last six weeks. Most states reported widespread influenza activity. Most of the influenza viruses have been identified as the H1N1 type A virus, and they are similar to the one chosen for the H1N1 vaccine.

In general, the number of people suffering from flu remained high.

Rhoda H. Senator, EdD

Flu Concerns

This year we are concerned about two influenzas, the seasonal flu and H1N1 swine flu.  We should get the seasonal vaccine as usual to protect ourselves.  Public health statements have warned us about the coming of swine flue or the H1N1 virus as well as the seasonal flu.  In an article on September 15, 2009 in the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope wrote about these influenza threats and what we can do to deal with them.  The Center for Disease Control has indicated that nationwide distribution of the H1N1 flu vaccine is underway in all states.  Your physician will tell you more about the H1N1 vaccine, and if you need to get it.
 

About 6 million doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine have been shipped throughout the United States.  The vaccine for the seasonal flu is available now in clinics, doctors’ offices and some pharmacies.  Recent studies have concluded that in addition to receiving the vaccines, we should make an effort to protect ourselves by avoiding crowds and practicing basic hygiene.

As described in our newsletter, we should frequently wash and dry our hands with soap and water or use a sanitizer.  Either method of cleaning hands has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of spreading infections such as H1N1 or seasonal flu.  Particularly after coughing or sneezing proper cleaning is important because from our hands, germs may enter the body through breaks or openings in the skin.  Therefore we should avoid touching our faces or others after sneezing or coughing.  The Center for Disease Control also recommends that when coughing or sneezing, one should cover one’s mouth and nose with a tissue which is then discarded, or simply cough into the inside of one’s elbow.  Germs may also be passed along to others by touching or shaking hands and by airborne particles when a person coughs or sneezes.  The use of hand sanitizers generally has been shown to lower the risk of infection in colleges according to a University of Colorado study.  They found that in schools where classes have hand sanitizers, students and teachers had fewer absences due to illness.  However, a Harvard study concluded that the use of hand sanitizers “lowered the risk for gastrointestinal illness but not upper respiratory infections”.

Careful hand washing and drying have been cited as a most important means of preventing the spread of infection.  In drying, if using a cloth towel once should change it frequently and avoid using someone else’s towel, or use a paper towel.  The use of a paper towel to carefully dry hands can be quite effective in removing any additional germs left after washing according to the Georgia-Pacific Professional web site.
 In addition to the vaccines and your physician’s advice, these are some precautions we should take every day in this coming season to try to prevent getting the flu.

Rhoda H. Senator, EdD

1. How are inflammation and COPD related?

The higher the number of inflammatory cells within the airways (as body’s own protective mechanism), the higher is the airflow obstruction, and the COPD is worse.

2. Why does COPD cause cachexia and wasting?

COPD involves inflammation. Inflammation causes the body to secrete a number of chemically active substances. These substances alter a particular protein (viz leptin), which is responsible for the body’s energy balance by different mechanisms. The alteration in the leptin levels may in turn affect the body’s response to nutritional intake, causing a net negative balance.