November 4, 2009

 

     The H1N1 virus may be spreading fast this flu season but rumors about the virus and the vaccines are spreading even faster.
     Some even scare people away from getting vaccinated.
     Lots of rumors are swirling - like -  the vaccine makes you sick, or that healthy, young people are the biggest risk.
     A doctor at the Arnot Ogden medical center tells it's not the spread of the virus that's scaring him - it's how much misinformation there is about the vaccine and the virus.
     The panic started last spring - when visions of people in masks near the u-s border hit the airwaves.
     But the truth is - there's a new strain of flu every year.
     The only think that separates this from normal flu seasons are the clusters of people who  got sick really fast - scaring healthy people out of exposing themselves to the virus vaccine, so they came up with some scary myths.
     Truth - some vaccine has the preservative thimerosal in it which doctor Terence Lenhardt says is safe.
     “There has been no evidence whatsoever (to indicate it is not safe).  There have been multiple studies in medical literature and finally a court case looking at this issue to indicate that thimerosal poses any risk to human beings,” Lenhardt said.
     Myth number two: getting the vaccine will make you sick.
     Well, the vaccine put in your arm has dead viruses in it, so that won't make you sick and the nose vaccine is weakened.
     “The live, inactivated virus can cause some mild upper respiratory symptoms because you have a virus in there. But, it can't really get much past the nasal passageway because it's so weakened that even normal body temperature makes it incapable of living,”Lenhardt added.
     Myth number three: young people are in danger.
     Kids haven't previously been exposed to a similar virus like many adults were years ago, but doctors say when the vaccine is available - there's your chance to protect your kids.
     It can also be hard to tell if you've got the flu, or just a cold; whether you should stay home or continue your day-to-day routine..
     Since H1N1 and seasonal flu are so contagious,  it's important to know the difference
     The most obvious is a fever and chills, which usually come with the flu - not with a cold.
     Sneezing, stuffy nose and headaches are not common symptoms of the flu but are for a cold.
     Then there are some symptoms that show in both, but are more severe in the flu, like body aches and pains,  fatigue and chest discomfort.    
     Also with the flu, you usually have a dry cough, while with a cold, it's a mucus cough.
     Doctors say if you pay attention to these symptoms - you'll have a better idea of when you need to stay home to protect others from exposure.