Yip - They had a Flu Clinic for I think 250pesos for the shot. Got scurried off to the deepest parts of Costco (behind the staff canteen). They were really good. Not sure if it's still on - I went a couple of weeks ago. Ask at the Pharmacy counter.
Swine flu in U.S. A spokesman for the CDC in the U.S. has said that the deaths attributable to swine flu in the U.S. have now exceeded 1,000, with over 20,000 people hospitalized. One of the interesting things that has appeared in recent weeks is that the areas of the U.S. hardest hit last spring are experiencing relatively fewer cases, compared to the areas with few cases last spring. One explanation that has been put forward for this is that a great many people in the areas hardest hit had mild cases of it, and developed immunity, as a result. There is a phenomena, known to epidemiologists, in which once the percentage of people in the population with immunity to a disease reaches a threshhold of say, 40%, a disease can no longer spread freely, those with immunity breaking the "chain of infection", in the spread of disease from person to person. Could it be that, as a result, Mexico, and Qroo, relatively hard hit last spring, will not be hit so hard this fall? I'll take the shot, of course, when it's available, but it is a comforting thought (as is the thought, for those of my age, that the disease hardly strikes any over 60, the theory being that this group developed immunity to similar viruses in previous epidemics, Asian Flu 1957, and Hong Kong Flu 1968, before younger people were born). Let's hear it for old age! Tough as nails, we are....
Re: Swine flu in U.S. Yes, well.. compared to: # of car crash deaths, # of gun deaths, # of heart attacks, and lets not forget # of ´normal´ seasonal flu deaths.... not to suggest that you should ignore it.. but its important to keep perspective and not let the sensationalist media alarm you more than need be.
Here's the latest data for the Mexico H1N1 outbreak [PDF]: http://portal.salud.gob.mx/sites/salud/descargas/pdf/influenza/situacion_actual_epidemia_211009.pdf What that data doesn't show is WHEN Quintana Roo's cases happened. I'd like to know that. There was discussion in the spring, on this forum, about the fact that many of us here were sick with what could have been an early mild round of H1N1 back in Dec 2008 - Feb 2009, before the discovery of H1N1. There was speculation by our Official Academy Member (and former MD) that this early round might have given this community some immunity...which would have explained why, at that time (when H1N1 was ID'd) no one here was sick. There's also the very real fact that viruses do not survive long or transmit well in hot and humid climates. The reason flu and cold season is during the winter is that both need cooler conditions to transmit most easily, as I understand it.
Hi, RG, that was nice of you to track down that data for us. The two tables, p.2 and p.7, appear to cover the period from March through October, this year, and show how many cases occurred, week to week. Quintana Roo, with 630 confirmed cases, total, for that period, p.8, was among the least affected of all the states of Mexico. Yucatan, on the other hand, with 3,088 cases, was among the hardest hit, with only the D.F., and Chiapas, having more cases. The pattern of older people being largely immune to this new flu held up in this data. Of 47,788 cases in Mexico, only 783 cases were of people 60, and older, nationwide, p.3., with those representing, perhaps, persons who managed to make it through both the Asian Flu epidemic, 1957, and the Hong Kong Flu epidemic, 1968, without having been exposed to those diseases, or immunized, at the time. There were 278 deaths attributed to the swine flu, nationwide, during the approximately six month period covered by this data which is, as Life has reminded us, a truly small number compared to those who died during that period from other causes, such as traffic accidents, to which we are all subject.
H1N1 UPDATE CDC is now estimating as many as 10,000 Americans have died of the swine flu out of perhaps 50 million cases, so far- about one death per 5000 cases. Most of the deaths have occurred among people 20-60. Those over 60, and children, continue to show less susceptibility to this new flu. __________________ I've been told by doctors that work in the IMSS system that they have the H1N1 vaccine, but that it is being administered only to those among their personnel who are/will be engaged in treating those patients with suspected/confirmed cases of H1N1. I don't yet know if any of the private hospitals or clinics are offering the vaccine, here in Cancun. IMSS hospitals are continuing to offer free diagnosis and treatment to anyone presenting with symptoms of the flu, with large signs on the front of every IMSS facility- part of a nationwide effort to contain the contagion, here. This is a generous offer, but it is a truly generous offer only if they will take you all the way through possible complications, including respiratory collapse, should you become that ill. Of the IMSS hospitals I've been in, all have respirators and could provide a level of supportive care while your body fights the disease; and, while there is no specific treatment for swine flu, opportunistic infections/pneumonias could be treated, actively. _________________ Hope nobody has to test the system in this way, and that's probably the only way to know for sure that they will stand behind their offer, to the limit of their capacity. IMSS being a very large, national organization, I suspect they will honor their pledge and treat, as necessary, should you begin seeing a doctor, there, and become progressively worse. (None of the more senior level administrators/doctors I've spoken with about it have acknowledged any limitations.)
Rivergirl As a health professional who posts here you should hear what we know that is factual and hear it from someone who has had the shot. Issue one: the growing case of conspiracy theories that this contains unknown entities. The vaccine related issues that MIGHT have any concerns relate to the preservatives that the vaccine contains not the altered virus that generates immunity. The H1N1 vaccine is a combination of several of the more serious virus outbreaks in recent years (a little swine a little avian etc) The preservative appears to be similar to the seasonal flu one. Issue two: H1N1 is more deadly than all else. Several national health bodies have had a chance to look at the death rate associated with H1N1 and are able to state with confidence that the mortality rate appears to be the same as the seasonal flu. The shot it's self: Much like the seasonal flu shot but a slightly larger dose(assuming that you do not get the nasal variety) that did leave the injected arm sorer than the seasonal arm for about 4 days on average. The poster that suggests the immunization against pneumonia is right there is a shot that offers a degree of immunity to certain strains of the bugs that could cause this. Pathologists are now suggesting that it might be good that a person is not too healthy as there is a larger than expected death rate in the healthy population that get H1N1. They generate a quick and severe immune response to the infection triggering a cytokine response (read intense) immune reaction that fills the lungs up with fluid that actually kills the patient. Hope this helps
It's an interesting approach to reserve the vaccine for those who will be interacting with victims of the infection. What on first blush appears to be a reasonable course of action, upon reflection seems to be an admission of situational triage because there's not enough vaccine to inoculate the population that's at risk. So, at least IMHO, what we're facing is a massive shortage of vaccine and an admission by those attempting to marshal the situation that they can't interdict the pandemic, but at least there will be a sufficient number of health care workers available to provide treatment to those who are sick. Meanwhile, while not wanting to appear a nut-job conspiracy theorist, I have to ask, with months of lead time, why is there a vaccine shortage? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the situation is due to lower than expected yields and some production glitches last May. Yet the US agreed to donate 10% of all vaccine production to the World Health Organization. Maybe some of that might eventually find its way into Mexico. Indeed, little attention has been given to the fact that the wrong flu vaccine was ordered by the government at a cost of over one billion dollars to taxpayers. A vaccine for the normal strain of flue was delivered but nobody wants to take this vaccine as it has been proven to do little to protect against the many strains of flu virus. And it does nothing to combat the N1H1 virus. - http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/11/prweb3165854.htm I believe there are five contract labs in the US manufacturing the vaccine. Instead of the labs shipping directly to the states closest to them, all vaccine inventorying and distribution has been centralized with the Center for Disease Control (CDC). While it may work for FedEx, it's obviously not working for the CDC. If things are this FUBAR in the States, where does it leave us here? I heard (from 2 sources that don't know each other) an unsubstantiated story that a large, palletized delivery of vaccine sat in an non-climate controlled area for days because of a paperwork snafu and had to be condemned because of spoilage. Bienvenidos a Mexico!
