Like every health care professional I have been swept up in the hysteria of flu shots this year. Normally flu shots are practically an after-thought. There is rarely a short supply and people are in no hurry to get them. However, Flu Season 2009 is a completely different story.
Mexico was the test case for Swine Flu in the United States. In April, the outbreak hit pandemic levels with bars, schools, and restaurants empty as Mexico City, a metropolis of 20 million people, looked like a ‘ghost town‘.
As the flu season ramped up in the U.S. reports of people, even those with little or no underlying health problems, ending up on ventilators fueled the hysteria. Providence Hospitals in Portland set-up tents outside their Emergency Departments and the Health Department gave spotty information on where to get vaccinated. All of these factors have led to a hysteria in the general public related to the Swine Flu. Indeed, some clever misinformation has spread throughout the public. Today I saw a sign advertising N95 face masks, the assumption being that they will protect you from Swine Flu. Unfortunately the literature on the CDC website shows that N95 masks offer some protection, but must be used EXACTLY as designed and are not recommended in most settings. While I’m excited to see this increase in the general knowledge of the public on PPE, I fear that these will be seen as a highly effective means of preventing transmission of the flu, which just isn’t the case.
The Intel guys really have these nurses beat in the fashion department.
I’m a huge proponent of disaster preparedness, but the hysteria has really amazed me. Several of my friends are working at H1N1 flu shot clinics and they describe a scene of nearly having to call the police. One friend said she was accosted by a man who said that if she didn’t give him a shot he was going to sue her for malpractice.
I have had a hell of a time tracking down flu vaccine for my clients. Every voicemail I hit has the same information, “we are currently out of ALL flu vaccine and do not know when we will get any.” I found the Google Maps mashup of where to find flu shots and of course no doses are available.
My real concern with the whole issue of Swine Flu is that it is only slightly more virulent than seasonal Flu and seems to be hitting a different population. The question is how would we deal with a pandemic if it was truly severe?
