Avian influenza, Bird Flu Latest News, Cold Flu News

What have you done to fight the flu? Have you gotten your flu vaccine? If you are on Facebook, you can easily tell all your friends that you are helping to fight the flu.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Children's Hospital Boston have developed a Facebook application where you can go to notify your friends that you have gotten the flu vaccine or get more information about it if you haven't decided yet. You even get to pick a cute character that announces to everyone that you are a Flu Fighter (I picked the blonde "supergirl" but there are lots of different characters to choose from). It's a cute and interactive way to let your Facebook friends know that you are doing your part to prevent the spread of the flu. And you never know when your decision to get a flu vaccine may influence someone else to do the same. It could even save a life.

Are You a Flu Fighter? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 23:36:00.

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If you have ever been unsure about whether or not you should get a flu vaccine before - worry no more. Starting next flu season, the CDC will recommend that everyone over 6 months of age get the flu vaccine unless they have an allergy to eggs or other ingredients in the vaccine.

That means no more questioning whether or not you are in a high risk group - although these groups are more likely to receive priority when there are limited amounts of flu vaccine available.

Strains for 2010-11 Flu Vaccine Selected

Both the WHO and the FDA have selected the strains of flu that will be included in next season's vaccine. The vaccine will include a strain of H1N1 (swine flu), in addition to two other seasonal flu strains.

Flu Vaccines for All? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 09:56:47.

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For most of us, colds are an annoying part of winter. No one really enjoys having a runny nose or hacking cough.

But what if you worked for nearly your entire life to become great at something and then a cold ruined your moment to shine? It's hard to imagine that a tiny virus could derail someone's dreams, but it is a very real possibility for the athletes competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Years and years of practice all lead up to the few moments that they have to compete in their event in the Olympics. These athletes have to be in top condition and even something as small as a runny nose can destroy their chances of performing at their best.

To make things even more complicated, many over the counter cold and flu medications are banned by the International Olympic Committee because of doping concerns. So taking some Sudafed to relieve that stuffy nose isn't even an option.

Most of the athletes aren't comfortable taking any type of medication because they fear that it could disqualify them from competition. So they do their best to avoid getting sick at all. A recent New York Times article quoted one athlete as saying that he carried a surgical mask with him on the airplane to protect himself from sick passengers. Others try to avoid as many people as they possibly can.

For those of us who aren't Olympians, a cold isn't likely to ruin the most important moments of our lives, but they are a nuisance. There are things you can do to avoid them if you try. Although none of these tips are guaranteed to keep you well, they will definitely help.

How a Cold Can Ruin Years of Hard Work originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 22:33:09.

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Most people who suffer from allergies have what we call "seasonal allergies" meaning that they only have allergies during certain seasons (typically spring or fall). Spring is only a few weeks away - despite what the groundhog says - and with it will come pollen and lots of watery, itchy eyes and runny noses.

However, it is still winter right now. Have you had a cold that has lasted for months on end? Believe it or not, it may be allergies. In fact, some people can even be allergic to cold weather! I'm a Southern girl and always thought I was "allergic to the cold", but it turns out there may be some truth to that thought.

If you aren't sure if your symptoms are due to a cold or allergies, learn about the differences between the two and find out what you should do.

Is It Allergy Season Yet? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 12:14:00.

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The 2009-10 flu season has been anything but normal. In April, we saw the start of the first flu pandemic in 40 years when H1N1 (swine flu) was discovered in Mexico and the US. It quickly spread around the world and persisted even throughout the summer. That in itself is unusual for the flu. Typically, influenza does not spread during the warm weather months.

The CDC estimates that in the US as many as 80 million people were infected with H1N1 between April and December of 2009. Fortunately the virus was relatively mild and a vast majority of those people recovered with no complications. However, we have seen more deaths and hospitalizations than we do during a typical flu season. So although H1N1 has been classified as "mild", by no means is it something to take lightly.

So what is happening now? With all the news and hype about it over the past 10 months, it suddenly seems to have disappeared. In a typical year, we'd be in the middle of peak flu season right now. But this year, that just isn't the case. There aren't any states that are reporting widespread flu activity and only a handful have reported regional activity.

• Find out what's happening in your state.

Does this mean the pandemic is over? Hardly! While we can hope that this is the end, it would be foolish to assume that. Past pandemics have shown us that there is usually a second "wave" of illness when the first one seems to have passed. Often, the second wave will be even more severe. The virus could mutate and start causing more severe illnes - or it could just fizzle out. Only time will tell.

What Happened to the Flu? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 11:01:26.

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The FDA and CDC are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo. It appears that certain italian style sausages and salami were contaminated with Salmonella.

So far, at least 207 people in 42 states have gotten sick due to the contaminated meats. The agencies believe the contamination may be traced to black pepper that the meats were seasoned with, but have not confirmed that theory. The FDA and CDC have compiled lists of the recalled products. They include salami and italian sausages that can be stored without refrigeration for up to a year.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include:

• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Stomach Cramps
• Vomiting

If you have any of these symptoms and have consumed any of the recalled products in the past couple of days, contact your healthcare provider. If you have any of the recalled products at home, discard them.

Most people that have salmonella infections will never know it. They simply have symptoms that they assume to be a stomach flu and recover without any complications within a couple of days. Therefore, the actual number of people affected by this outbreak could be significantly higher than what is reported.

Salmonella in Salami? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 19:32:29.

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Strep throat is a common illness in school-age children. It can affect younger children and adults as well, but is most common in kids age 6-15.

Did you know that strep throat can take several forms and also lead to some potentially serious complications? It may be tempting to wait it out if you have a sore throat, but if you have symptoms of strep throat, it is better to be tested to be sure. Delaying treatment too long could lead to rheumatic fever, which can cause serious heart damage.

While rheumatic fever is a very serious illness, it is also quite uncommon in the US. A more common illness that is often confused with rheumatic fever is scarlet fever. While they have similar names, scarlet fever is really just a variation of strep throat and is not any more serious than typical strep.

The Many Sides of Strep Throat originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 16:27:47.

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Millions of people use natural and alternative medicine to treat everything from the common cold to cancer. Have you ever tried a natural or herbal remedy to treat or prevent a cold or the flu? If so, share your experience with other readers.

Natural remedies such as vitamin C and echinacea have been used for years but the efficacy of these remedies is still questionable. Still other products, such as Airborne, contain a combination of herbs and minerals that are supposed to boost the immune system so you don't get sick. If you have used these products, or others, share your thoughts on them and let us know why you chose that particular remedy.

Have You Tried a Natural Cold Remedy? originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 10:26:34.

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On January 15th, the CDC updated its estimates of H1N1 infections in the United States. The numbers are not exact because many people who have had H1N1 (swine flu) did not seek treatment or were not tested. However, the CDC developed a formula to help them calculate the approximate number of people they believe have had this strain of flu, as well as the number of hospitalizations and deaths. These latest numbers encompass the dates between the beginning of the pandemic in April 2009 and December 12, 2009.

• Between 39 and 80 million people in the US have had H1N1, the most likely number is around 55 million.

• Between 173,000 and 362,000 people have been hospitalized with H1N1 or illnesses related to it (such as pneumonia).
• Between 7,880 and 16,460 people have died from H1N1 related illnesses. The actual number of deaths is hard to determine but is most likely around 11,000.

While "swine flu fever" has definitely died down lately, many people are now claiming that the CDC and WHO overreacted to the pandemic and scared the public unnecessarily. We are fortunate that the pandemic has not been more deadly and personally, I believe they handled the situation appropriately. If it had turned out to be worse and they had not taken it so seriously, far more lives would have been lost. I think it's far better to err on the side of caution in a situation like this. What do you think? Do you think the pandemic has been handled properly by public health officials and the media? If not, what should they have done differently?

Latest H1N1 Estimates from the CDC originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 16:33:10.

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McNeil Consumer Healthcare has recalled numerous medications due to reports of a foul odor and some cases of nausea, stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhea. They recalled certain packages of Tylenol Arthritis last month due to the same complaints but have now expanded the recall to include all products that could possibly be affected.

The recalled products were sold in the Americas, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Fiji. After an investigation, McNeil determined that the odor - which has been described as moldy or musty - is caused by a chemical known as 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) which is commonly found in wood pallets that are used to transport the packaging materials that the medications are stored in. Trace amounts of the chemical were found in some of the medications when they were tested.

Some of the medications involved in the recall include:

• Children's and Adult Tylenol

• Children's and Adult Motrin
• Benadryl
• St. Joseph's Aspirin
• Rolaids
• Simply Sleep
• Tylenol Arthritis
• Tylenol PM

You can find a complete list of the recalled products including lot numbers on the FDA's website.

If you have any of the recalled medications, you can contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare at 1-888-222-6036 or www.mcneilproductrecall.com for refund or replacement. If you have experienced symptoms after taking one of these medications, contact your healthcare provider.

Multiple Medications Recalled Due to Foul Odor originally appeared on About.com Cold & Flu on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 at 21:47:59.

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