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♦ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2006
6A
Don't be late! Get your vaccination now
Speciml to the Journal
It’s that dreaded time
of year again. Flu season!
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention, every year in the
United States at least five to
20 percent of the population
contracts the flu and more
than 200,000 people require
hospitalization from flu com
plications. Approximately
36,000 people die from the
flu each year. Some people,
such as older adults, young
children, and people with
certain health conditions
are at higher risk for seri
ous flu complications. But
what exactly is the “flu" and
how can you protect your
self and your family from
getting sick with it this win
ter? Influenza, also called
the “flu”, is a contagious
respiratory illness caused
by influenza viruses. It can
cause mild to severe illness,
and at times can lead to
death. The best protection
against this illness is hav
ing a flu vaccination each
fall. “The influenza viruses
spread through respiratory
droplets caused by coughing
and sneezing,” explains Lisa
Harris, RN, CIC , Infection
Control Practitioner for
Houston Healthcare. “They
usually spread from person
to person; however, people
can become infected by
touching something that
has flu viruses on it and
then touching their mouth
or nose.”
The typical incubation
period for influenza is one
to four days. Most healthy
adults can infect others
beginning one day before
symptoms develop and up
to five days after becoming
sick. Children can be infec
tious for 10 or more days
before developing symp
toms. Symptoms of the flu
include a high fever, head
ache, extreme tiredness, dry
cough, sore throat, runny
or stuffy nose, and muscle
aches. Stomach symptoms,
such as nausea, vomiting,
and diarrhea, can also occur
but are more common in
children than adults.
The single best way to pre
vent the flu is to get a flu
vaccination each fall. There
are two types of vaccines.
The “flu shot” is an inac
tivated vaccine containing
dead influenza viruses that
is given with a needle. The
flu shot is approved for use in
people older than six months
of age, including healthy peo
ple and people with chron
ic medical conditions. The
nasal-spray flu vaccine is a
vaccine made with live, but
weakened influenza viruses
that do not cause the flu.
Sometimes called LATV for
“Live Attenuated Influenza
Vaccine,” this vaccine is
approved for use in healthy
Respiratory therapists
make breathing easier
Special to the Journal
Most respiratory thera
pists work in hospitals
where they perform inten
sive care, critical care and
neonatal procedures. They
are also typically a vital part
of the hospital’s lifesaving
response team for patient
emergencies.
At both Houston Medical
Center and Perry Hospital,
respiratory therapists serve
on Rapid Response Teams,
a new quality improvement
initiative recommended by
the Institute for Healthcare
Improvement’s 100,000
Lives Campaign to reduce
the number of code situa
tions outside emergency
departments and intensive
care units in hospitals. Both
Houston Medical Center and
Perry Hospital have sepa
rate, fully operational respi
ratory care units staffed
with registered respiratory
therapists.
“People who need respi
ratory care typically have
chronic lung problems such
as asthma, bronchitis, and
emphysema,” explains
Cynthia Ireland, supervi
sor of the Respiratory and
Cardiology departments
at Perry Hospital. Other
patients who have had heart
attacks, been involved in
accidents, or been born pre
maturely might also need
respiratory care. Patients
who have cystic fibrosis, lung
and other types of cancer, or
AIDS are also potential can
didates for this special care
people 5 years to 49 years of
age who are not pregnant.
Approximately two weeks
after vaccination, antibodies
develop that protect a person
against infection from the
influenza viruses. Flu vac
cines will not protect against
influenza-like illnesses
caused by other viruses. “We
recommend a person get a
flu vaccination in October
or November,” states Harris.
“However, getting a vaccina
tion in December or even
later can still be beneficial.
Flu season can begin as early
as October and last as late as
May. Generally, anyone who
wants to reduce his or her
chances of contracting the
flu can get a vaccination.
However, there are certain
people who should get a vac
cination each year. These
are people who are at high
risk of having serious flu
complications or people who
live with or care for those at
high risk for serious compli
cations.”
People who should get an
influenza vaccination each
year include:
■ All people who are 65
years of age or older
■ People with chronic or
long-term health problems
■ Women who will be preg
nant during flu season
■ People 50 to 64 years
of age
■ People who can trans
mit the flu to others at high
risk for complications
■ All children age 6-59
months
■ Healthcare workers
■ People with any con
dition that can compro
mise respiratory function
or handling of respiratory
secretions (that is, a con
dition that makes it hard
to breathe or swallow, such
as brain iiyury or disease,
spinal cord injuries, seizure
disorders, or other nerve or
muscle disorders.)
■ People who live in nurs
ing homes and other long
term care facilities that
house those with long-term
i ] Inpccpc
“The ability of the flu vac
cine to protect a person from
contracting the flu depends
on the person’s age and
health, and the similarity
between the virus strains
in the vaccine and those
virus strains present in the
community during that par
ticular flu season,” explains
Harris. “Testing has shown
that both vaccine types are
very effective at preventing
the flu.”
As with any vaccine or
medication, the influenza
vaccines can produce minor
side effects in some people.
“After receiving the flu shot,
a person may experience
soreness, redness or swelling
where the shot was given, a
low grade fever, and aches,”
in order to help them breathe
easier. According to Ireland,
respiratory therapists at
Perry Hospital and Houston
Medical Center perform
both diagnostic and thera
peutic procedures including:
measuring the capacity of a
patient’s lungs to determine
if there is impaired function;
performing stress tests and
other studies of the cardio
pulmonary system; studying
disorders of patients with
disruptive sleep patterns;
providing mechanical venti
lation to treat both neona
tal and adult patients who
cannot breathe adequately
on their own, and admin
istering aerosol medica
tions to alleviate breathing
problems and to help pre
vent respiratory infections.
Respiratory therapists also
provide patients with smok
ing cessation education and
counseling.
Asthma education and
counseling are also available
on both an inpatient and
outpatient basis through
AsthmatiCare, a free edu
cational program offered
at both Houston Medical
Center and Perry Hospital.
AsthmatiCare assists per
sons with asthma in devel
oping a personalized treat
ment plan with the help of a
registered respiratory thera
pist. For more information
on the AsthmatiCare pro
gram, contact the Houston
Health Pavilion at 923-9771,
Houston Medical Center at
542-7796 or Perry Hospital
at 988-1689.
states Harris. “In children,
side effects from the nasal
spray vaccine can include
runny nose, headache, vomit
ing, muscle aches, and fever.
In adults, the nasal vac
cine may cause runny nose,
headaches, sore throat, and
cough. If these problems do
occur, they begin soon after
the vaccination and usually
last one to two days. Rarely
does anyone experience any
serious problems after get
ting the influenza vaccine,
but the vaccine can cause
severe allergic reactions in
some individuals. But, again,
this is very rare.”
There are some people
who should not get an influ
enza vaccination without
first consulting a physician.
These include:
■ People who are severely
allergic to chicken eggs.
■ People who have had a
severe reaction to an influ-
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LOCAL
enza vaccination in the
past.
■ People who developed
Guillain-Barr6 syndrome
within six weeks of getting a
previous influenza vaccine.
■ Children younger than
William O. Rankine, Jr., D.O.
Hpu/t»Of\
family
Hcolbl\
six months of age because
the influenza vaccine is not
approved for use in this age
group.
■ People who have a mod
erate or severe illness with a
fever should wait until they
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Board Certified by
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478.923.9771
Physician Referral & Information
are healthy again before get
ting the flu vaccination.
For more information
about the influenza virus or
the influenza vaccines, con
tact your family physician or
local health department.
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