Boston declares health emergency after 18 flu deaths
BOSTON (AP) - Boston declared a public health emergency Wednesday as flu season struck in earnest and the state reported 18 flu-related deaths so far.
The city is working with health care centers to offer free flu vaccines and hopes to set up places where people can get vaccinated. The city said there have been four flu-related deaths, all elderly residents, since the unofficial start of the flu season Oct. 1.
"The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to get the flu shot," said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
The city was experiencing its worst flu season since at least 2009, Menino said, with about 700 confirmed cases of the flu, compared with 70 all of last season.
Massachusetts was one of 29 states reporting high levels of "influenza-like illness," according to the most recent weekly flu advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said the proportion of people visiting health care providers with flu-like symptoms climbed from 2.8 percent to 5.6 percent in four weeks. By contrast, the rate peaked at only 2.2 percent during the relatively mild 2011-12 flu season.
The estimated rate of flu-related hospitalizations in the U.S. was 8.1 per 100,000 people, which is high for this time of year, according to Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch of the CDC's influenza division.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the Boston public health commission, said the emergency was declared in part to get residents' attention. She said that the 700 confirmed cases represent only those reported to the city and that thousands of other people may be ill.
Boston hospitals had counted about 1,500 emergency room visits since December by people with flu-like symptoms. Menino said people with symptoms shouldn't go to work or school.
LaKeisha Davis, 23, was at the Whittier Street Health Center on Wednesday for treatment of unrelated pain when she heard about the flu emergency being declared in Boston.
She took a flu vaccine on the spot, fearing that if she got the flu her 4-year-old daughter might catch it as well.
"I love her more than anything in the world and I don't want anything to happen to her," Davis said.
Frederica Williams, president of the community health center in the inner-city Roxbury neighborhood, said her facility had opened a special flu clinic and was using social media and sending letters to residents urging them to come in and get flu shots. Williams estimated that the number of patients coming to the clinic with flu-like symptoms was triple that of a year ago.
Hospitals around the state were also taking precautions to protect patients and staff members from exposure to the flu.
Baystate Health, which operates Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and two other hospitals in western Massachusetts, announced it was changing its visitor policy. The hospitals will no longer allow visitors younger than 14 and are recommending no more than two people visit a patient at once.
"This is the worst in several years," said Dr. Sarah Haessler, an infectious disease specialist at Baystate. She said the flu outbreak has strained the hospital's resources and helped to fill its beds to capacity.
City, state and federal officials have all identified a Type A influenza known as H3N2 as the predominant strain reported so far this season. The strain, historically associated with more serious illnesses, is among those covered by the current vaccine.
"No vaccine is 100 percent effective," cautioned Kevin Cranston, head of the state bureau of infectious diseases. Some people, for example, might be vaccinated but get the flu in the 10 days to two weeks it takes for the immunity to take hold.
"There are any number of reasons why people could have done all the right things and still get the flu," he said.
High flu rates were being reported all over Massachusetts, Cranston said, and while he didn't have specifics on the 18 statewide deaths, he noted that the flu is most dangerous for the young, the elderly and people with other chronic health conditions.
"I hate needles, and I got (a shot)," Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday, adding that he wasn't aware of any shortages of vaccine in the state. He also reminded residents to use common sense, such as washing their hands and sneezing into their sleeves.
The CDC said 18 children have died from the flu so far this season. While the CDC doesn't keep a tab of deaths overall from the flu, it estimates that 24,000 Americans die each year.
The city is working with health care centers to offer free flu vaccines and hopes to set up places where people can get vaccinated. The city said there have been four flu-related deaths, all elderly residents, since the unofficial start of the flu season Oct. 1.
"The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to get the flu shot," said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
The city was experiencing its worst flu season since at least 2009, Menino said, with about 700 confirmed cases of the flu, compared with 70 all of last season.
Massachusetts was one of 29 states reporting high levels of "influenza-like illness," according to the most recent weekly flu advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said the proportion of people visiting health care providers with flu-like symptoms climbed from 2.8 percent to 5.6 percent in four weeks. By contrast, the rate peaked at only 2.2 percent during the relatively mild 2011-12 flu season.
The estimated rate of flu-related hospitalizations in the U.S. was 8.1 per 100,000 people, which is high for this time of year, according to Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch of the CDC's influenza division.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the Boston public health commission, said the emergency was declared in part to get residents' attention. She said that the 700 confirmed cases represent only those reported to the city and that thousands of other people may be ill.
Boston hospitals had counted about 1,500 emergency room visits since December by people with flu-like symptoms. Menino said people with symptoms shouldn't go to work or school.
LaKeisha Davis, 23, was at the Whittier Street Health Center on Wednesday for treatment of unrelated pain when she heard about the flu emergency being declared in Boston.
She took a flu vaccine on the spot, fearing that if she got the flu her 4-year-old daughter might catch it as well.
"I love her more than anything in the world and I don't want anything to happen to her," Davis said.
Frederica Williams, president of the community health center in the inner-city Roxbury neighborhood, said her facility had opened a special flu clinic and was using social media and sending letters to residents urging them to come in and get flu shots. Williams estimated that the number of patients coming to the clinic with flu-like symptoms was triple that of a year ago.
Hospitals around the state were also taking precautions to protect patients and staff members from exposure to the flu.
Baystate Health, which operates Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and two other hospitals in western Massachusetts, announced it was changing its visitor policy. The hospitals will no longer allow visitors younger than 14 and are recommending no more than two people visit a patient at once.
"This is the worst in several years," said Dr. Sarah Haessler, an infectious disease specialist at Baystate. She said the flu outbreak has strained the hospital's resources and helped to fill its beds to capacity.
City, state and federal officials have all identified a Type A influenza known as H3N2 as the predominant strain reported so far this season. The strain, historically associated with more serious illnesses, is among those covered by the current vaccine.
"No vaccine is 100 percent effective," cautioned Kevin Cranston, head of the state bureau of infectious diseases. Some people, for example, might be vaccinated but get the flu in the 10 days to two weeks it takes for the immunity to take hold.
"There are any number of reasons why people could have done all the right things and still get the flu," he said.
High flu rates were being reported all over Massachusetts, Cranston said, and while he didn't have specifics on the 18 statewide deaths, he noted that the flu is most dangerous for the young, the elderly and people with other chronic health conditions.
"I hate needles, and I got (a shot)," Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday, adding that he wasn't aware of any shortages of vaccine in the state. He also reminded residents to use common sense, such as washing their hands and sneezing into their sleeves.
The CDC said 18 children have died from the flu so far this season. While the CDC doesn't keep a tab of deaths overall from the flu, it estimates that 24,000 Americans die each year.
@Festuvus, When I was sick I stayed home, everyone that came to see me or got near me got sick with the same symptoms, including my daughter. Â Some of them went to the doctor and wisely sought help from a professional, however my teenaged daughter refused, instead she took tablespoons of fish oil(LOL I kid you not) not snake oil, and she recovered the fastest. Â Young folks have much better immune systems. However I do hear what you are saying, stay well.
 @czullo Sometimes a good immune system is exactly what you DON'T need.  Read about the 1918 flu pandemic and the cytokine storm problem that led to a higher mortality rate among the young and healthy than among the aged and infirm.
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The fish oil had nothing to do with her recovery. Â
@Portlandborn83  I am not sure if my health insurance covers naturopath, but if you have the name, and phone# of a good one, I'd love to  give it a try.
The strain going around this year is a dangerous one in my opnion. Â I too got sick in October,by thanksgiving I was still really sick, coughing, sore swollen throat, chills with sweating. Â After being sick for 30 days I went to the doctor. Â I had a runny nose, cough and so much mucus I thought I had whooping cough. Â
while sick they gave me the flu shot and I thought I was going to die. Â I ended up having to go back to the doctor again and get meds. Â I still feel a little weak, Â this virus is one bad one. Â This may be the pandemic they have been predicting.
 @czullo Well, getting the vaccine when you're already sick is sorta pointless unless the doctor didn't think this was influenza - and a 30 day bout is way beyond normal if it was.
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It's highly likely that the flu vaccine you received had no Thimerosal at all, and if it did, the absolute maximum Mercury concentration received would have been 25 micro grams.  You didn't feel bad because of the mercury.
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You can waste your money on a naturopath, but you'll probably just get some homeopathic snake oil (with a hefty price tag) that's nothing better than distilled water as far as a cure goes.
@czullo The flu shot does not provide immunity if you already have the flu! No wonder you felt so bad, it contains mercury!
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I got the flu this year too, but guess what, I got over it in 5 days because I went to a naturopath who doesn't prescribe western medicine! It was so effective it blew my mind!
 @portlandborn83  @czullo Apparently.
"The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to get the flu shot."
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This is incorrect advice. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from any illness is to boost your immune system! Additionally, if you do get the flu, it is best to fight it off so that you gain immunity from it permanently! The flu shot only offers temporary immunity and you will have to get the shot again next year.
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Common substances found in vaccines include:
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-Aluminum gels or salts of aluminum which are added as adjuvants to help the vaccine stimulate a better response. Adjuvants help promote an earlier, more potent response, and more persistent immune response to the vaccine.
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-Antibiotics which are added to some vaccines to prevent the growth of germs (bacteria) during production and storage of the vaccine. No vaccine produced in the United States contains penicillin.
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-Egg protein is found in influenza and yellow fever vaccines, which are prepared using chicken eggs. Ordinarily, persons who are able to eat eggs or egg products safely can receive these vaccines.
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-Formaldehyde is used to inactivate bacterial products for toxoid vaccines, (these are vaccines that use an inactive bacterial toxin to produce immunity.) It is also used to kill unwanted viruses and bacteria that might contaminate the vaccine during production. Most formaldehyde is removed from the vaccine before it is packaged.
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-Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 2-phenoxy-ethanol which are used as stabilizers in a few vaccines to help the vaccine remain unchanged when the vaccine is exposed to heat, light, acidity, or humidity.
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-Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that is added to vials of vaccine that contain more than one dose to prevent contamination and growth of potentially harmful bacteria.
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http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm
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In 2011, legislation was passed protecting manufacturers from being sued for damages in the US without a special tribunal. This means they can make billions of dollars off of a product that has been proven ineffective and even harmful, and the consumer has no legal protection.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/22/AR2011022206008.html
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Many studies in the 1990â²s proved a link between thimerosal and neurological disorder, and it was removed from most childhood vaccines. However, it is still used as a preservative in the flu shot. Thimerosal contains more mercury than the EPA recognizes as safe for exposure without recognized adverse effects. Autism and mercury poisoning both affect the brain and nerves, eyes, immune system, gastrointestinal system, muscle control, and speech.
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http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm
 @portlandborn83Â
You again with the bogus advice and links that don't even say what you think they say. You are incorrigible.
DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THIS NUT. HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE TOPIC OF VACCINES.
 @portlandborn83 STFU.  Stop giving people bad advice.  I'm through being patient with an idiot.
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Yes that's rough and personal. Â Deal with it. Â You're advocating illness for millions of Americans. Â I don't have to play nice any more.
@portlandborn83 "so that you gain immunity from it permanently" from the strain you catch, it will provide no defense against future strains as the flu virus adapts to get around the bodies defenses, even those defenses created by the vaccine.
A friend of mine got the flu after taking the flu shot. A relative almost died when she was stricken with GuillainâBarré syndrome (GBS) after taking the flu shot. I don't see how flu shots can be administered if they don't know what type of strain will break out until it breaks out. I may be wrong, but doesn't the virus need to be isolated before they can start work on an immunization? It seem like a shot in the dark unless they (putting on my tinfoil hat) know in advance what that strain will be (a'la manufactured).
 @str1ngb3nd3rÂ
1) The virus in the vaccine is dead. You CANNOT catch the flu from it no matter what your aunt tillie says. GBS is an auto-immune response to an infectious stimulus and may occur after a vaccine or after contracting a viral illness unrelated to a vaccine.
2) the virus' circum-navigate the globe. The flu they have in the southern hemisphere during their winter June thru August is usually the strain we will get in ours Dec - Mar. It takes up to 6 mon to create the flu vaccine so as soon as the strains are isolated in the southern hemisphere they are gearing up production for us and so it goes for the southern hemisphere's vaccine the next season. Sometimes the strains mutate and the vaccine is less effective than it might otherwise have been.
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If you want accurate facts about the flu vaccine you need to visit the CDC website.
 @str1ngb3nd3r I read they look at the strains going around the southern hemisphere to predict what the north will get.
@str1ngb3nd3r The flu shot does not contain anything that would cause the flu. But, getting the shot can also make your symptoms LESSER and lasts half as long. the other point is to protect others around you. I work at a school where kids are always sick and never wash hands. I don;t want to bring that home to my husband who has asthma.
Like all vaccines, the flu vaccine only gives a temporary immunity, and only to the to the virus strains contained in the vaccine. The only way to get permanent immunity to a strain of the flu is to recover from it naturally. Natural immunity to a particular strain of flu can be protective if that strain, or closely related strains, come around again in the future. However, because the vaccine only provides a 70 percent chance of temporary immunity to selected strains, and those strains may or may not be prevalent, health officials say you need to get a flu shot every year.
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Mild Problems from taking flu shot:
-soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given hoarseness; sore, red or itchy eyes; cough fever aches headache itching fatigue
If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days.
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Moderate Problems from taking flu shot:
Young children who get inactivated flu vaccine and pnemococcal vaccine (PCV13) at the same time appear to be at increased risk for seizures caused by fever. Ask your doctor for more information.
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Severe Problems from taking flu shot:
Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. In 1976, a type of inactivated influenza (swine flu) vaccine was associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Since then, flu vaccines have not been clearly linked to GBS. However, if there is a risk of GBS from current flu vaccines, it would be no more than 1 or 2 cases per million people vaccinated. This is much lower than the risk of severe influenza, which can be prevented by vaccination.
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http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
 @portlandborn83 Cite your numbers.
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The chance of dying from the flu vaccine, as far as I can ascertain, is less than 1 in a million. Â That equates to less than 10,000 deaths if every single person on earth were vaccinated, and they most certainly are not.
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What's happening in Pakistan is the result of scientific illiteracy combined with irrational fear. Â It has nothing to do with the actual vaccine.
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Meanwhile, 18 are already dead from the flu in Boston alone.
You risk your life by taking the vaccine too. It is killing thousands of people worldwide but you cannot sue the manufacturers. Look at what is happening in Pakistan now!  How many people died in Boston from the flu? Not many sir, not many at all!
 @portlandborn83 Why oh why do you persist in using the public forum on KATU to repeatedly display your abject ignorance of basic science?
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Getting this year's flu confers absolutely no immunity to next year's flu if the virus mutates, which it does every damn year. Â Otherwise, everyone would be immune to ever catching the flu after a single illness.
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Meanwhile, people like myself with a history of lung function issues risk hospitalization and death by contracting the flu, and should do everything in our power (including vaccination) to avoid it.
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So you are effectively advocating, out of what's clearly profound ignorance, that people put their life at risk because you couldn't pass a f*cking science class. Â How many deaths attributed to your advice would it take to satisfy your ignorance?
The flu shot usually covers the common strains. Meaning more then one type. But you are right that its a shot in the dark. If a particular strain starts showing up then they modify the formula if they have time to do so.
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I don't get the flu shot in the end I think it will just create a super bug that is difficult to cure.