As you have very likely heard by now, CCHC will restrict visitation of patients in both hospitals (CCH and FH) to people 18 years of age and older. This is being done, in order to minimize the risk of bringing H1N1 influenza into the hospital by school aged children, the youngest of whom, may have less than stellar hygienic manners. As we watch this pandemic unfold, school aged children are heavily represented among the ill, the class room being a perfect incubator for respiratory viruses, especially those that are as contagious as the H1N1 virus seems to be. We are cognizant of the need to be flexible and will evaluate special needs on an individual basis. In conjunction with the visitation restrictions, we are emphasizing that all visitors to the hospital assess themselves and not visit their family/friends in the hospital if they, themselves, have a febrile respiratory illness. Once again, we are stressing personal responsibility for doing the right thing.
Effects of the Pandemic
You also are hearing a great deal of criticism of the government for promising vaccine that, unfortunately has failed to materialize as expected. While I am not sure that anyone “promised” vaccine at any given time, we were led to the expectation that there would be plenty of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines by now. However, the vagaries of biology have prevailed and for many perfectly innocuous and not entirely unexpected reasons, the vaccines are in short supply, with more doses coming over the next month or so. To put this in perspective, the H1N1 (swine flu) virus was identified in late April 2009 and by early to mid-October, H1N1 vaccine was shipping. That is less than 6 months from virus identification to the first people receiving their immunizations. That’s not bad and actually, is quite phenomenal when you ponder all the steps required to get to the final product and have that out the door for general use. The infrastructure is in place to administer the vaccines when they are received and the public should stay tuned to see when it comes and to which providers in order to make for an orderly path to having the highest risk groups immunized as soon as it can be done.
I have been pleased with the degree of preparedness of the various groups involved in the response to the pandemic. The level of involvement has been unprecedented. There will be mistakes, no doubt, as we proceed in dealing with the morbidity and mortality involved in responding to the pandemic. However, the level of preparedness is and degree of organizational involvement in thinking through what needs to be done and how it is going to get done is unprecedented in my medical career. We should all be reassured in that respect.
Influenza 
October 30, 2009 at 3:42 pm |
While the response may be better than it has been in the past, the dependence upon commercial manufacture clearly has it's limitations. We are told that the reason they continue to rely on the old technique of innoculating eggs, rather than newer production methods, is that vaccine profits are not sufficient motivation
If the economic and physical health of the entire nation isn't motivation, then they maybe should get out of the business, and the feds should take over vaccine production, as more vital to "Homeland Security" than most of what that department does.
But of course, that would be 'socialized vaccine' and we can't have that, can we?
November 2, 2009 at 7:16 pm |
I agree. There has been some progress in targeting parts of the virus that do not undergo antigenic changes. If that pans out, there will be no need for annual immunizations, one shot will work until a booster is needed. That probably would take care of the pandemic strains as well. Maybe there will be a time when Chinese or Indian Pharma will take advances made in the USA and commercialize them for the benefit of larger numbers of people. Certainly, our current system is not working all that well.