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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- My Grandpa We love him! v We see people differently. We see them as individuals. At Houston Healthcare’s Human Motion Institute, there is only one way to treat our patients— as individuals. Our leading-edge treatment philosophy combines clinical expertise with a comprehensive, personalized approach. From the prevention and treatment of arthritis, joint or back pain to total joint replacement and spine surgery, our clinical teams have designed our program with one simple goal in mind: keeping our patients healthy and active. If you or someone you care about has a problem related to motion or joint pain, contact us and find out why thousands of individuals . each year choose us as their motion care experts. & ■ W ; . m Bl / K Spjjf;. 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 New Patients Welcome www. houston fa m il y hea 1 th ,co m HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Board Certified by The American Board of Family Medicine Specializing in Family Medicine 109 O/igiorv Blvd. /utee 400 UJorrjef Robity, Georgia 31088 478-953*1999 Members of the Medical Staff's of Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital Daxes Banit, MD Orthopedic Surgery Jeffrey C. Easom, DO Orthopedic Surgery P. Jeffrey Jarrett, MD Orthopedic Surgery Todd E. Kinnebrew, MD Orthopedic Surgery K. Scott Malone, MD Physiatry!Sports Medicine Derrick D. Phillips, MD Orthopedic Surgery J.W. Spivey, Jr., MD Orthopedic Surgery George S. Stefanis, MD Neurosurgery Daniel B. Wagner, DO Orthopedic Surgery William B. Wiley, MD Orthopedic Surgery KfpkJM l JmJA \ I IMAN SHI MOTION lliNMiniH at Houston Healthcare www.hhc.org 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. || I 00039304