It is good to be back. Albert, you formerly knew me as jdrjr1 but although the system recognised my former name and had all my many old posts on it, it refused to send me a new password. Since I always hated the former moniker I re-registered but using instead my former signature John L. Since the flu gave me the pneumonia last season and almost killed me I look with trepadation on two things, H9 mutating, and now reports from Australia of the worst seasonal flu season possibly ever. This is because we in New York usually get it next. Looks like I have a lot of good posts and posters to catch up with.
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/australia-hit-by-worst-flu-outbreak-on-record-in-2017/news-story/56d9f7266bcc8a0a7ceacd5298e06d88
AUSTRALIA is in the grip of the
worst flu outbreak on record and experts are urging people to have a flu
vaccine now to prevent further spread of the disease. More than 70,000 cases of flu have been reported so far this year including a record breaking 30,000 cases last month. “I’m
confident this is not just the biggest on record but the largest flu
outbreak we’ve seen for some time,” Professor Paul VanBuynder the
Chairman of the Immunisation Coalition said. The previous influenza record occurred in 2015 when more than 100,000 people tested positive for the flu. Flu
notifications in South Australia are at a six-year high, with a total
of 6203 cases so far this year compared to just 1347 cases at the same
time last year. In all of 2016, there were a total of 7851 flu
notifications in SA. In 2015, the state recorded its highest number of flu cases on record, with a total of 15,659 notifications. Flu
vaccinations are available from pharmacies and can cost adults as
little as $10, children have to be vaccinated by a GP where the cost
should be $25 or lower, Professer VanBuynder said. It takes ten days for the flu vaccine to work properly so doctors are urging people to act now. Professor
Bill Rawlinson a Senior Medical Virologist at NSW Health Pathology and
Prof Lou Irving is Director of Respiratory Medicine at Melbourne Health
said they had seen a spike in hospitalisations related to complications
caused by the flu.
Katrina Faint gets an injection from pharmacist Nikki Lade. Picture: Evan MorganSource:News Corp Australia Professor Rawlinson says flu can cause pneumonia and death. Director
of Respiratory Medicine at Melbourne Health Professor Lou Irving says
it can have a severe impact on people with chronic illnesses such as
asthma, chronic obstructive Pulmonary disease, diabetes and heart
disease. He said he had recently treated a 38-year-old new mother
who needed hospitalisation for 3 days after contacting pneumonia as a
result of the flu. A 27-year-old man required surgery to drain his
pulmonary cavity of pus and fluid after he developed severe pneumonia
after the flu, Professor Lou Irving. Australians are being urged to still get a flu shot. Picture: ThinkstockSource:ThinkStock One in four elderly people, two in three pregnant women and nine in ten children are not vaccinated to protect against the flu. Professor
VanBuynder says experts have been asking the expert committee that
advises the government on which vaccines to fund the make the flu
vaccine free for everybody on the national immunisation register for
over a decade. Evidence shows the effectiveness of the flu vaccine begins to wane after six months. While
there is no formal recommendations to give chronically ill and elderly
people a booster vaccine some GPs vaccinate chronically ill patients
twice a year.
------------- John L.
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