When Pigs Fly…
The topic du jour this week has been the emergence of a new influenza strain in Mexico. Initially it was reported to be “part pig, part bird, part human” and as it seemed to coincide with the visit of our Boy President and his 500-person entourage to Mexico City, my paranoia meter went bonkers. Such a chimera virus sounded like the product of an evil lab somewhere, perhaps a trial terrorist run.
Now the hysteria has abated and we have a more rational basis for assessing the threat. This is a new H1N1 strain, an Influenza A virus primarily associated with swine contact (not eating pork). The outbreak in Mexico has caused some deaths, and cases have been identified in several states here as well as countries around the world. Overall though, the severity of this strain seems ordinary. It seemed odd that the source was Mexico as flu strains usually come out of Asia, but there is evidence that this outbreak began with a visit to Mexico of a citizen of Bangladesh who was quite ill on arrival.
This is not a harbinger of a 1918-like scourge that killed tens of millions of people in the wake of World War I. It seems more like the 1976 strain that struck Fort Dix NJ and led to the emergency production of a new vaccine which forty million Americans received. It was apparent by the fall that the “epidemic” had not materialized but the program went ahead as government programs usually do. The fallout was about a thousand cases of the paralytic condition Guillain-Barré syndrome, and a widespread antagonism toward vaccine mandates that carries over to this day.
Influenza is a true menace; it kills 36,000 of us in an average year, and the present choice of vaccines will not protect against the new strain. So far we can be hopeful that by fall an effective vaccine will be available and that the Virus Formerly Known as Swine Flu will prove to be manageable. Antiviral drugs are of some help (TamiFlu or Relenza) but their use in kids is problematic because of side effects, and the best they do is shorten the illness, not cure it.
Since influenza is seasonal, we won’t hear much for a few months about this. Schools and public venues should stay open and I hope folks won’t flock to emergency rooms with minor symptoms. But there is some precedent for new flu strains to appear mild at first, then return after summer with a vengeance. (One of the great mysteries of influenza is where it hides for six months, only to reappear, often in the same communities.)
Stay tuned, but enjoy the nice weather.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I thought the same thing about this sudden “epidemic”. VEry suspicious…
July 16th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Since posting the blog entry on swine flu two and a half months ago, enough has happened to occasion an update.
The offending agent isn’t going away. In fact its behavior is odd in that it hasn’t taken the summer off as influenza normally does. Epidemics are occurring worldwide and in every part of America. Deaths have been uncommon and almost all have been in otherwise unhealthy individuals, but pneumonia seems to be more common than with the familiar strains.
Perhaps the most unsettling news is that this H1N1 strain resembles the 1918 virus that killed tens of millions. A vaccine may be developed by autumn but not quickly enough to be combined with the 2009-10 seasonal one, creating a huge logistical challenge. People who survived the 1918 pandemic seem to be immune, so if you’re over 91 you’re OK, but then you’re probably not reading this blog.
September 28th, 2009 at 8:42 am
So, its been a couple of months now since the postings above…with the typical ebb and flow of the dialogue in the media about the vaccine. As always, your valuable opinion is wanted! So, under what circumstances are vaccines warranted for kids? Should we be concerned by or grateful for (or both) the rush to market of the H1N1? For us, given that both kids are in group care settings now, I feel it is a foregone conclusion that one of them will get it and spread it to…well…me. Unacceptable given hubby is on assignment out of state for the next three months. So, bottomline, what are your recommendations on the H1N1 vaccine? Will it offer any protection against the garden-variety seasonal flu? If not, can it be given in conjunction with the seasonal vaccine?