Flu vaccine recommended for all over 6 months; pneumonia vaccine recommended for those 65 and older and at high risk

Vaccination is the best way to keep from getting the flu, and with two influenza cases already reported in Kentucky, now is the time to schedule your annual flu shot, says the state Department for Public Health.

Kentucky's flu season typically begins in October or November, so many health-care providers have vaccine supplies on hand. Adequate supplies of flu vaccine should be available for this year's season, according to a news release from the department.

It is best to get your flu vaccine early because it takes about two weeks for the vaccination to take effect, but flu shots can be given any time during the flu season.  It is recommended that you have a new flu vaccination each season, and children younger than 9 who did not receive a flu shot last season should get a second dose four or more weeks after their first vaccination, according to the release.

"Getting the flu can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening, and vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent illness,” said Stephanie Mayfield, M.D., commissioner of the department. She suggested following a few simple steps to reduce the risk of getting the flu and other illnesses: Wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and stay home when you’re sick.

The Department for Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends flu vaccine for all individuals older than 6 months. The vaccine is especially recommended for people who are at higher risk for complications or negative consequences from the flu. 
 These include:
 • Children 6 months to 19 years
 • Pregnant women 
 • People 50 years old or older
 • People of any age with chronic health problems
 • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
 • Health care workers
 • Caregivers of or people who live with a person at high risk for complications from the flu
 • Out-of-home caregivers of or people who live with children less than 6 months old

A variety of vaccine options are available, including injections, nasal vaccine spray, intradermal vaccination and high dose flu vaccines, so many consumers have a choice about how they get vaccinated.  Ask your health care provider which option is best for you.

Flu is a contagious disease caused by the flu virus and spreads from person to person. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and body aches. Seasonal flu and its complications cause an average of 23,000 deaths  each year in the U.S.

In addition to the flu vaccine, the Department for Public Health also strongly encourages all adults 65 or older and others in high risk groups to ask their health care provider about the pneumococcal vaccine.  This vaccine can help prevent a type of pneumonia, one of the flu's most serious and potentially deadly complications, according to the release.

High risk groups for invasive pneumococcal disease are:

• persons with chronic pulmonary disease
• asthma
• chronic heart disease
• diabetes
• chronic renal disease
• chronic liver disease
• smokers aged 19 through 64 years

Between 20,000 and 40,000 deaths are attributed to flu and pneumonia nationally each year, with more than 90 percent of those deaths occurring in people age 65 and older, according to the release.

For more information on influenza or the availability of flu vaccine, contact your local health department or visit http://healthalerts.ky.gov.

Diabetics have increased risk of complications from flu

Certain groups of people, including diabetics, are at risk of serious flu complications each year, according to a report from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

More than 500,000 Kentuckians, over 11 percent of the state’s population, are living with diabetes, wrote R. Stewart Perry and Larry Smith, co-chairs of the American Diabetes Association's national board of directors, in an op-ed piece in The Courier-Journal.

“Diabetes can weaken your immune system against the flu, and it also puts you at an increased risk of flu-related complications,” Fernando Ovalle, M.D., professor of medicine in the UAB School of Medicine and senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center, said in a news release. “The weakening of the immune system makes it harder for your body to fight the flu virus. Being sick can also raise your blood glucose and prevent you from eating properly. You are also at risk of flu-related complications like pneumonia.”

 There are several things Ovalle said diabetics and parents of diabetics can do to give some protection from the virus:
 • Get a flu vaccine shot. The nasal spray vaccine is not safe for people with diabetes.
 •Talk to your health care provider about the pneumococcal vaccine. It will help protect against pneumonia.
 • Keep track of blood glucose. It can be affected by illness.
 • Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
 • Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
 • Practice the good-health habits like getting plenty of sleep and exercise, managing stress, drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthy food.

 For diabetics who think they have the flu, Ovalle suggests these steps:
 • Contact a health care provider immediately. Symptoms include fever or feeling feverish or experiencing chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuff nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. In children, vomiting and diarrhea can be common.
 • Continue taking diabetes pills or insulin.
 • Test blood glucose every four hours and track results.
 • Stay hydrated; drink lots of calorie-free liquids.
 • Try to eat normally.
 • Weigh every day. Losing weight without trying is a sign of high blood glucose.

“Be vigilant and smart, especially when it comes to washing your hands." Ovalle said. "And if you every have any questions or concerns, contact your health care provider.” (Read more)

It's not too late to get your flu shot, and getting it could not only help yourself and your family but your neighbors

It's not too late to get your flu shot, even though the flu has hit earlier and more broadly than usual, experts say.

It generally takes about two weeks for a flu vaccine to be most effective, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting the shot in mid-January might seem too late, but it's "better late than never," he said during a teleconference Friday.

The CDC says the flu has been widespread in Kentucky for more than five weeks, far more than last year. "Most of the country is seeing a lot of flu, and this may continue for several weeks," Frieden said. "We don't know if we are over the peak."

Getting a flu shot can protect your neighbors, too. The protection afforded by the current vaccine is an important tool in protecting the health of the general public. The flu can be serious, especially in senior citizens, those with other chronic health problems and children. This season's outbreak has led to the deaths of 20 children as of Friday.

The CDC has found that the current flu vaccine is 62 percent effective, meaning if you get vaccinated, "You are 62 percent less likely to get the flu," writes Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

It is also important that people with flu symptoms seek treatment. Anti-virals such as Tamiflu can be effective in reducing the most serious symptoms, Frieden said. "If you get flu-like symptoms, it can really help you avoid serious illness, hospitalization or even death," he said.

Meehan's story includes advice for dealing with children and tips about how to avoid getting the flu. To read it, click here.

UPDATE: In response to the flu, the University of Kentucky today limited visitation at its hospitals: None will be under 18 or have any flu-like symptoms, and only two will be allowed in a patient’s room at a time. Visitors may be issued masks or other protective clothing, and other restrictions may be imposed in special care units such as women’s and children’s units, critical care and oncology units. "Compassionate visitation exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis," a UK release said.

CDC director: Flu season is three weeks early, could be a bad one

Prepare for a bad flu season. According to the Centers for Disease Control, this flu season seems to be ahead of schedule if you use the last decade as any judge of when the season should begin, which is usually around Christmas. Suspected cases have already showed up in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, with two infant deaths already having been reported. (Getty Images)

Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director, sees good news in that fact that the nation seems well prepared this year. He told the Associated Press that more than a third of Americans have been vaccinated and that the vaccine is well matched to the strains of flu seen so far. (Read more)

No way to know how serious flu season will be this year; get your vaccine, which will be available soon, officials say

There is no way of predicting how far-reaching the flu will be this season, but this year's vaccine should be available soon, officials with the Kentucky Department for Public Health said today.

"As soon as you get the immunizations you can start administering them," Sherri Coles, Kentucky Vaccine Program assistant coordinator, told a physician during today's webinar on the subject.

Last flu season was very mild, particularly compared to the one before it, when the H1N1 flu virus was first found here. About 22,400 people nationwide were confirmed to have the flu last season. There were 26 lab-confirmed pediatric deaths caused by flu, but none were in Kentucky. Flu activity was only widespread for five weeks in Kentucky last season, in March and April.

Flu shots are recommended for everyone from 6 months of age and older. Children 6 months to 8 years of age getting the vaccine for the first time should get two doses administered at least one month apart.

The flu can be treated with antiviral drugs, Coles said, which can "lesson the symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by one or two days." The drugs should be taken within two days of getting sick, though starting them later can still be helpful for people who have a pre-existing health condition or are very sick from the flu. Tamiflu and Relenza are the two kinds of antiviral drugs available. Relenza can only be taken by people who do not have breathing problems like asthma or COPD.