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Walgreens Wellness Tour Comes to VirginiaPreventing Swine Flu, Open Letter from VA's Health Commissioner
An Open Letter from
Karen Remley, MD, MBA, FAAP, Virginia Health Commissioner to
Grandmothers About the Novel H1N1 Influenza and How to Best to
Prepare and Protect Your Family, Community and Yourself
Everywhere we turn, we hear about
the novel H1N1 flu, commonly referred to as “swine
flu.” While you most likely have learned a lot about this
novel influenza infection from the media, as a grandmother and
trusted advisor about health issues it is important that you have
access to accurate and timely information. I find a helpful
source of information to be the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
website, www.cdc.gov/H1N1. You will
find lots of practical information and answers to the many questions
that may arise as you and your family prepare for the upcoming flu
season. In addition, each state health department has
it’s own website, most easily found by searching “[state
name] and health department,” i.e. “Virginia health
department.” These sites will provide important local and
regional information.
There are three areas in our
response to this new influenza in which you in your role as
grandmother and trusted health advisor can have significant impact;
- support of your family and community to both prevent infection and provide support when illness arises,
- keep yourself healthy and lastly,
- understand the vaccination campaign.
The reason we call this flu
“novel” is that it is a different combination of flu
particles than scientists have seen before. History tells us
when this occurs, it is likely that the virus may act unpredictably,
possibly causing worse disease and affecting different people than
the regular or seasonal influenza. Unlike seasonal flu, this
virus affects children and young adults in greater proportion than
older adults. Pregnant women and people with chronic diseases
are also at higher risk to get more seriously ill.
In fact, it appears to be one time
when being over 65 may be offer some degree of protection. It
is thought that people in this age category may have been infected
by a similar virus earlier in life resulting in a degree of
immunity. So celebrate your age! This also means that
there is a higher chance that your children or grandchildren may
become infected and potentially ill. Schools, workplaces, and
daycare are common places for people to share germs. Helping
your family develop a plan to assist in caring for loved ones when
ill, offering to be an emergency school contact for your
grandchildren and encouraging your children to plan for potential
illness this fall by having food, medicine and any essentials needed
in their home in case they will need to stay at home with a sick
child can all really make a difference.
Next, think about how you keep
yourself and your family members healthy. Using good hand
hygiene, covering coughs, and staying home when ill are just a few
of the recommendations you can find on the CDC
website. Seasonal flu vaccine is currently available and the
CDC recommends that we all get this vaccine early. Even though
we are all talking about the new H1N1 flu, the seasonal flu will
definitely still be here and can be particularly dangerous for the
very young, those over 65, pregnant people, and people with chronic
diseases. So get your own seasonal flu shot early and encourage
other family members to do likewise. Many health care providers
offer the seasonal flu vaccine along with your local health
department and many pharmacies.
Lastly, the federal government has
contracted with vaccine manufacturers to develop a vaccine to
prevent H1N1 influenza infection. This vaccine will be very
similar to the seasonal flu vaccine many of us get yearly. It
will not be released for use in the general population until careful
studies have been done to determine its safety and
effectiveness. The H1N1 vaccine is scheduled to be available in
mid-October. Encouraging your children to consult a doctor
about getting themselves and your grandchildren vaccinated could
further protect them from this virus. Pregnancy is a
particularly important time to get vaccinated as this will protect
both mother and baby from getting ill. Pregnant women should
consult their doctor before being vaccinated. Ultimately, each
person who gets vaccinated not only protects themselves but also
those around them, thus decreasing the potential for spread to
others. If you are under 65 with any chronic medical condition
please be sure to consult your doctor about being vaccinated for
H1N1. Your local health department can help you find a close
location to receive vaccine.
This fall we each have an
opportunity to show leadership within our families and communities
around this important personal and public health issue. I
encourage you to have discussions about these topics with your
family and friends and use the CDC, state and local health
department websites as sources of accurate and timely information.
Through knowledge, prevention
activities and vaccination we can minimize the impact of this new
infection on our families and communities.
Sincerely,
Karen
Remley, MD, MBA
Commissioner
of Health, Virginia
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Added: Aug 28, 2009
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