New Swine Flu Death Estimate Triples Previous Numbers
Here’s the biggest H1N1 story of the week. The CDC now estimates that 2 million Americans have contracted swine flu since the first outbreak, and 4,000 of those people have died. While these numbers are triple the former figures, that’s not because H1N1 has suddenly gotten much more severe. Instead, the CDC has started using an algorithm to estimate flu rates with more accuracy rather than rely on the results of actual H1N1 tests, which most patients never get.
WHO Emphasizes Early Antivirals for High-Risk Patients
Flu is hitting some countries like Afghanistan so hard, the World Health Organization is recommending, strenuously, that doctors treat people with Tamiflu early if they’re at high risk for flu complications. The group includes pregnant women, small kids, and anyone with one of the underlying medical issues that can cause severity.
U.S. Sick Leave and H1N1
I could write a book about this country’s sick leave policy, or lack thereof, and especially how it affects families with less-than-healthy children. At the very least, you’ll probably see a post on that topic someday soon.
In the meantime, this link pretty much sums up how I feel. It focuses on the Milwaukee area but also addresses the larger issues of “anti-business” ridiculousness and the danger of opposing mandatory sick leave during this pandemic of a highly contagious influenza.
Early access to tamiflu was so valuable when my asthma kids got the swine flu. I think it’s great to hear that docs in other countries are treating at–risk patients with antivirals ASAP!