FW: 76 children dead of swine flu as cases rise

[Guest guest]

Parents, please keep this in mind when deciding whether or not

to vaccinate your children for swine flu. Although the anti-vaccine

parents are very vocal, every parent must make his or her own informed

decision.

From: Tom

Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2009 9:35 AM

To: Toast

Subject: CDC: 76 children dead of swine flu as cases rise

CDC: 76 children

dead of swine flu as cases rise

By MIKE

STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer Fri Oct 9, 10:09 pm ET

ATLANTA – Health

officials said Friday that 76 U.S. children have died of swine flu, including

19 new reports in the past week — more evidence the new virus is

unusually dangerous for the young.

The regular flu kills between

46 and 88 children a year, according to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. That suggests deaths from the new H1N1

virus could dramatically outpace children's deaths from seasonal flu, if swine

flu continues to spread as it has.

CDC officials say 10 more

states, a total of 37, now have widespread swine flu. A week ago, reports

suggested that cases might be leveling off and even falling in some areas of

the country, but that did not turn out to be an enduring national trend.

" We are seeing more

illness, more hospitalizations, and more deaths, " the CDC's Dr. Anne

Schuchat said at a press conference Friday.

The new virus, first

identified in April, is a global epidemic. The CDC

doesn't have an exact count of all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations, but

existing reports suggest more than 600 have died and more than 9,000 have been

hospitalized. Health officials believe millions of Americans have caught the

virus.

The virus is hitting young

people harder. Experts believe older people are suffering from it less, perhaps

because they have a bit of immunity from exposure over the years to somewhat

similar viruses.

Most healthy children recover

and often suffer only mild symptoms. But some have died from it, often from a

second infection that moves in while the body is weakened from the flu.

Kids with asthma or chronic heart or respiratory conditions also

are at greater risk for serious complications.

Experts say it's important

for parents to watch their children's symptoms carefully. If a child appears to

get better, but fever and a cough return, there may be a second infection.

Other trouble signs are rapid or difficult breathing or bluish skin color.

Vaccinations against swine

flu began this week and so far, states have ordered 3.7 million doses. Demand

is exceeding supply, and people seeking the vaccination should ask their state

or local health department where to go, said

Schuchat, who heads the CDC's National Center for

Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Health officials also said

more data is trickling in from several clinical trials

of the new vaccine, and so far no serious side effects have been reported.

Preliminary results from one

study indicate that both a seasonal flu shot and

a swine flu shot are effective when given during

the same doctor's office visit. However, the government is not recommending

that people get the nasal spray versions of the

seasonal and swine flu vaccines at the same time.

The nasal

sprays contain weakened, live virus, and the government doesn't have

data on how a person's immune system would react to exposure to both at once,

said Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.