Articles filed under 'COLD & FLU'
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a new version of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist prevents influenza better than tradition needle vaccinations in most children. But for babies age 6 months to 1 year or older children who sometimes wheeze in breathing, the research showed that old-fashioned shots are safer.
In a worldwide test on 8,400 preschoolers completed during the 2004-2005 flu season, 8.6% of children receiving shots developed flu, while only 3.9 children given the spray succumbed to the virus. The spray was shown to dramatically reduce the risk of flu-related ear and lower respiratory tract infections, as well.
Needle vaccinations are made of killed virus particles that provided less protection to children under age 5 than to adults. Preschoolers given the needle also exhibited more side effects. The nasal spray uses live, weakened viruses.
Researchers at the St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri found that both treatments reduced children’s flu rates, but half as many of those who received the nasal spray became ill as those getting flu shots. So, for children over a year old who don’t have a history of wheezing (about 80% of children), it appears that the intranasal vaccine is better.
The spray vaccine could carry special risks for children younger than 12 months. They are more likely to develop wheezing and more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for any cause if they received FluMist instead of needle vaccination.
For children who are able to benefit from FluMist, the induction of antibodies into the nose is helpful. The nose is generally the area where the flu virus enters the body, and the nasal spray appears to induce more complete immune response. The spray was also found to work against flu strains that had mutated slightly over time, giving high protection even when circulating strains aren’t a perfect match to the vaccine.
In this study, researchers used a new version of FluMist that only needs refrigeration instead of freezing for storage. The FDA approved this version of the nasal vaccine in January 2007 for healthy children over 1 year old and for adults to age 49.
Health officials have in the past year been encouraging flu vaccinations for those age 6 months to 5 years to prevent the spread of influenza. This study helps give parents and clinicians valuable information to make informed decisions for either shots or nasal vaccines for their children.
Source: CNN.Com
February 17th, 2007
The U.S. government has stocked a supply of Tamiflu and other antiviral medications, some 21 million doses, to be used in case of a flu pandemic such as the 1918 Spanish Flu. It is believed these drugs would be effective for treatment or prevention of wide-scale “avian” or bird flu if it arrives on our shores. Countries such as Great Britain have done a commendable job in obtaining enough Tamiflu and other antivirals to treat its population.
As governments around the world prepare for the potential emergence of a deadly flu pandemic, they are looking at several strategies. A different class of antivirals known as ion channel inhibitors (amantadine and rimantadine) used in combination with neuraminidase inhibitors such as Tamiflu, could play an important role. An article published in the British Medical Journal indicated that taking only amantadine or rimantadine would be more likely than Tamiflu to produce unacceptable side effects and to be associated with a rapid emergence of resistance. British researchers emphasized the benefits of a combination therapy – ion channel inhibitors and neuraminidase inhibitors.
The World Health Organization also endorsed combined use of the two types of antivirals, especially in planning for some future flu pandemic. In laboratory tests, the combined antivirals even prevented emergence of resistant strains of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. These chemically stable, antiviral drugs have a long shelf life and could be stored for long periods.
The U.S., the U.K., and Greece are already stockpiling ion channel inhibitors in addition to neruraminidase inhibitors such as Tamiflu. Research scientists and governments are cooperating to confront the potential emergence of a virus that could be spread by migrating birds and people on international flights. If the H5N1 virus eventually changes into a form easily transmitted from one person to another, the resulting flu pandemic would rapidly sweep around the globe.
Sources: Science Daily;
February 17th, 2007
Last fall, the media inundated us with fears of bird flu virus mutating to a form easily transmissible from person to person. To date, this has not occurred. Recent testing of 75,000 wild birds in the U.S. and Canada showed no signs of the highly lethal H5N1 avian or bird flu. Less than 200 persons worldwide have died from avian flu since 2003, and no reported cases have been confirmed in the U.S.
In contrast, the usual viral strains of flu that we can expect to occur each season will in a typical year kill about 36,000 in the U.S. (mostly elderly) and over 500,000 worldwide. You can do much to protect yourself and family members from this actual threat by getting flu shots before the flu season hits hard in the winter months.
Another protection available to families is to have on hand a prescription of Tamiflu (oseltamivir). This drug in tablet or liquid suspension form has proven effective in lessening the symptoms of flu and speeding recovery, and even preventing the disease after exposure to influenza. Tamiflu can improve or decrease the ailments that occur with flu – weakness, headache, cough, fever and sore throat – in just the first day of use.
Tamiflu is generally taken for 5 days to treat flu or half the dosage for 7 days to prevent the virus after having been exposed. Children may take a smaller dose, based on their weight and medical conditions as approved by the physician consulted. You should not stop taking the medication suddenly because you begin to feel better. If serious or very distressing side effects are noted, discontinue the medication and check with your doctor about what to do next.
If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you should not take Tamiflu. Discuss with your doctor whether it would be safe for your baby if you take Tamiflu while breastfeeding. If you have serious medical conditions such as heart, kidney, or lung problems, liver disease or other viral infections aside from Influenza A or Influenza B, your doctor can tell you whether Tamiflu is appropriate for you.
Sources: MSNBC.com;
February 17th, 2007
An Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously approved a recommendation that children ages 2 to 5 get flu shots. In the past, flu shots have been advised for children ages 6 months to 23 months, pregnant women, people 65 and older, and anyone with chronic health conditions. This recent decision seeks to give wider protection from a virus that kills thousands in the U.S. each year.
Protecting kids in this age group will help to prevent the spread of flu to their parents and other relatives. Children often bring home contagious diseases from daycare or pre-school settings, exposing other family members.
Vaccines for Children, a government program, will pay for flu shots for children ages 2 to 5. About 180 million Americans are in groups currently recommended to get flu vaccines. Even so, manufacturers expect to throw away about 100 million doses produced for this current flu season.
A few minutes of time getting a flu shot before flu season begins can help protect loved ones from needless illness and perhaps save their lives. Flu shots produce little or no discomfort or side effects. They are effective in preventing influenza or lessening the degree of illness if you do get the flu.
Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, AP story, 2/23/06; Dr. Dean Edell, KGO- San Francisco weekly broadcasts
March 21st, 2006
Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of childhood illness. Often referred to as “stomach flu,” rotavirus causes at least 55,000 U.S. children to be hospitalized annually for dehydration resulting from uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea.
Fifty to 60 of these children will die. Most American children come down with the ailment repeatedly by age 5 and recover at home. They gradually gain immunity, usually by the time they enter first grade. In developing countries with poor access to health care, however, hundreds of thousands of babies die from rotavirus every year.
To combat this intestinal germ, a federal advisory panel recommended to the FDA that every healthy newborn in the U.S. be vaccinated for rotavirus in the first months of life. Babies should be given vaccine at age 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months, the panel recommends. The oral vaccine won approval from the FDA on February 3. Some doctors already have supplies on hand. The panel’s recommendation becomes policy when adopted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is expected to happen.
Seven years earlier, a rotavirus vaccine with withdrawn from the market after causing potentially life-threatening intestinal blockages in some babies. The new vaccine produced by Merck Pharmaceuticals has been rigorously tested for safety. RotaTeq, the improved vaccine, was tested in about 70,000 babies in 11 countries in one of the largest vaccine trials ever.
RotaTeq “generally appears to have a better safety profile than the earlier vaccine,” said Umesh Parashar, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC. He adds that it will continue to be scrutinized and hopefully confirm the absence of risk. The new vaccine will be one of the most expensive vaccines ever marketed. Doctors are expected to charge $300 for the series of three oral vaccines.
RotaTeq contains live, but weakened strains of the virus. The vaccine is designed to build immunity without causing a baby to become ill.
San Francisco Chronicle, 2/22/06; Associated Press contributed to the article which appeared in the Washington Post recently; reported by Justin Gillis.
March 21st, 2006