Mythbusters: Swine Flu Edition!
Read number four carefully because it makes an important distinction between face masks on H1N1 patients and the rest of the population.
If You’re Young and Female, You May Have a Higher Risk of Severe H1N1
Here’s the scary summary of new Canadian research on swine flu patients:
168 people with H1N1 entered ICU’s.
67% of them were women.
1 in 6 of the total patients died.
72% of those patients who died were women.
The average age of those deaths was 42.
If you like, you could print out this post, highlight these study results, and hand it to people bragging about their (psuedoscience-based) anti-vaccination stances. In fact, I think I’ll take my own advice if I get one more obnoxious email from these folks. I’ll just send them the link to this post and write,
“Know any women between the ages of 18 and 42? You’re putting them at risk.”
Then I might direct them to this editorial on H1N1 Vaccine Myths.
Blood-Oxygenation System Helped Critical Southern Hemisphere H1N1 Patients
The system, called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), circulates and oxygenates blood for critical patients. While doctors apparently use ECMO primarily as a heart/lung substitute for newborns with breathing problems, this Australia/New Zealand study reports that most H1N1 patients on ECMO survived, even after respiratory failure.
Finally, in the interest of balance and peace of mind, here’s some Halloween fluff to take you into the weekend:
Jack-o-Lantern Awesomeness
I’m a sucker for this holiday, and I love a good pumpkin-carving photo gallery.
Okay, one more: robot jack-o-lanterns!
More information on H1N1 here.
so….my asthmatic 8 year old son has swine flu. I’m terrified. He’s had severe asthma his whole life and it’s very hard to regulate. Any advice on how to handle this? I know all the usual advice. We’ve been to the doctor. I know what symptoms to watch for. I know about his medications and breathing treatments and when to administer them. And I work in the respiratory business. But I’m still horrified. I’d appreciate any input anyone has.
The study about healthy young women is a shocker to me. My friend tweeted about it yesterday, and I was like “Oh GREAT. Now I’m in two risk categories!”
I’m getting both my H1N1 and my seasonal flu shots on October 26th (and I don’t care how long it takes standing in line!)–and my friend who tweeted about it? She’ll be right beside me.
Darn you, pathogens–you suck.
Hi, just to let you all know that my kids have had their H1N1 shots. They turn 10 in January, but still have to have a second shot in one months time (21 days as per CDC website). We traveled 2 hours to a county to get some of the first vaccinations being given out in Florida. We arrived at 6.30 am for an 8 am opening. 8th family in line. 200 in line by 7.30am. We were in the clinic for quite a while because of the paper work we had to complete. My advise is to get to the clinics early. No side effects, just relief that they are somewhat protected now – still holding my breath until they get the second shot though! Hope all those who have come down with H1N1 on this site are recovering.
Thanks, Louise. Great news, and I hope so, too!