Flu Outbreak reaching public health emergency levels

BLT20051 · January 2013

If you haven't gotten your flu shot, you should probably do it soon.

https://news.yahoo.com/boston-declares-health-emergency-amid-u-flu-outbreak-030031382.html

Imbrium101 · January 2013

I was watching this on the news last night. So glad I got my flu shot. Unfortunately, one of the strains they're seeing out there (10% of cases I think?) isn't covered by the shot. Here's to hoping none of us get that either!

BLT20051 · January 2013

This is scary. We also have whooping cough going around our area. I just want to hide in my house away from everyone.

BLT20051 · January 2013

MeghanKG:
Boston just declared a public health emergency after seeing 700 reported cases. Scary.

They've had 18 deaths already. People who think the flu is NBD are crazy. In the article it even states that people under estimate the flu.

Imbrium101 · January 2013

Bacon+lettuce+tomato:
This is scary. We also have whooping cough going around our area. I just want to hide in my house away from everyone.

There's a pretty big outbreak of pertussis where I am too. I've had my Tdap shot 2 years ago, and will get another one at the recommended time. Vaccines are useful for that.

CocoMcGee · January 2013

Same for where I am. Our state health department is giving from TDAP shots to all adults. So scary!

Britt8058 · January 2013

I am a nurse in a hospital and we have never seen anything like it. 3 huge hospitals in Nashville are on diversion due to the flu. What is awful about the strain going around here is that initially presents like a cold so people continue to go around spreading their germs.
Even if you get the flu vac and get the flu, you will not be as sick as you would have been without the vac.

Please go get the flu vaccine if you haven't already or wear a mask in public. Pregnant women can't take flu treatments.

jenb1019 · January 2013

This is crazy! I just got my flu shot the other day, since I just got into second tri a few weeks ago... keeping my fingers crossed that this passes us by!

melissa0726 · January 2013

This is super scary. DD and I just had our flu shots (finally!) last week, after our whole family was sick with some strain of the flu over Christmas. We do not want a repeat.

My parents own a dance studio, and almost every single family that has come in has had someone sick with some type of the flu, not counting all of the colds. It's awful. I'm not taking DD over there for the next two months, that's probably where we got the germs in the first place!

I'm getting my DTaP booster at my next OB appointment, and DH is going to get one before this baby is born. There is pertussis in our area as well. I never thought I'd want so badly to quarantine my kid, but we've had some type of illness off and on for six weeks now, and I'm so done with it.

llbta85 · January 2013

SouthSideDrea:
MeghanKG:
I forgot to add...if anyone hasn't went for a flu shot yet, both CVS and Rite Aid WON'T give flu shots to pregnant women. So just go directly to your doctor. This may just be a MA thing, but just a heads up.

They wouldn't give me one in IL either, had to wait it out and get one from my OB.

Rite Aide in MD will give them to Pregnant women, just checked with 2 locations.

adeller11 · January 2013

Especially super-scary being a teacher! The kids are dropping like flies right now and many have been out sick for long periods of time. No thank you!

jennkg3 · January 2013

We are in flu recovery at my house :. My 18 month old who got a flu shot came down with a 103.7 fever last week...my wentv as high as 102 : I really felt like death I couldn't keep anything down...midwife prescribed tamiflu it worked pretty quickly hate taking meds but I guess the benefits outweigh the risks....hope no one else gets it! Stay healthy!

AZAmy77 · January 2013

DH and I always get our flu shots (nice that we get them through work usually). This year, he came down with the flu, but thankfully I avoided it.

My dr office wants me to get another Tdap booster after 20 weeks. A note that I actually had pertussis ~2 years ago and was miserable! I can totally see how it could be life threatening for little ones. Definitely keep up on that one!

Jdawnl · January 2013

I teach high school and each time I hear a student cough, I cringe.

I have been sending any sickly looking students to the nurse for a temp check. Iam sure she is loving me, (lol) but I am not taking any chances! I am about to run out of hand sanitizer and I make my last hour students wipe down the desks with Clorox wipes!

I am beyond determined to not get sick. I am going to ask my MW at my appt in a week, if she thinks I should get the shot.

adeller11 · January 2013

llbta85:
SouthSideDrea:
MeghanKG:
I forgot to add...if anyone hasn't went for a flu shot yet, both CVS and Rite Aid WON'T give flu shots to pregnant women. So just go directly to your doctor. This may just be a MA thing, but just a heads up.

They wouldn't give me one in IL either, had to wait it out and get one from my OB.
Rite Aide in MD will give them to Pregnant women, just checked with 2 locations.

You can get them at Walgreens. That's where I got mine in October.

KatInTheHat28 · January 2013

My whole family got the flu shot and we all go the flu. It was AWFUL but because we got the shot, it probably wasn't as bad as it could have been. I had a fever over 100 for four days and felt like I had been run over by a bus. My husband had a fever for several days and my son had a lingering fever for two weeks. It was terrible. Get your shot, you don't want to deal with it!!

Luthy · January 2013

My doc wanted me to wait till my appointment on Monday... I'm still a little worried since it takes 2-3 weeks for immunity to kick in... Sad

WifeofaComposer · January 2013

My son got his flu shot back in October, and I got my shot in early December, but my DH and I both got the flu 4 days after getting my shot, before the 14 days it takes to be fully systematized. Not being able to take meds was so difficult, and I was extremely ill - I'm not needing a nebulizer anymore, but I'm still recovering after 7 weeks. I finally talked my DH into getting his flu shot the other day, even though he's already had the flu, but I want him to build up a resistance to better protect our baby by next flu season. Everyone in the household should be vaccinated again in early autumn to avoid bringing the flu home to little babies.

RIngReady · January 2013

I just got mine over my lunch break. With all the publicity on the TV and radio these days, places are currently running out fast!

I went to Walgreens and as I waited in line I overheard many people talk about how our local King Soopers (Kroger) and Safeway were both out, Rite Aid was out and so was our local EmergiCare. I managed to get one, but the Dr. told me then that they were down to their last 25 as well.

If you are going to get one, call the place ahead of time to make sure they have some left and then get there soon.

skio · January 2013

Baconlettucetomato:
This is scary. We also have whooping cough going around our area. I just want to hide in my house away from everyone.

Yeah, pertussis has been all over for a while. I'm making everyone in both our families get the DTAP shot before this baby comes or they can't come in contact with him/her before the first round of shots.

Are news outlets revealing whether or not the flu strains causing the outbreaks are strains covered by the vax?

BLT20051 · January 2013

skio:
Baconlettucetomato:
This is scary. We also have whooping cough going around our area. I just want to hide in my house away from everyone.
Yeah, pertussis has been all over for a while. I'm making everyone in both our families get the DTAP shot before this baby comes or they can't come in contact with him/her before the first round of shots. Are news outlets revealing whether or not the flu strains causing the outbreaks are strains covered by the vax?

It depends on the strain. There isn't a huge outbreak of one strain(so far) that stands out like there was with H1N1. It really is just a ton of people with the flu.

hannahg · January 2013

I just got one at Walgreens this afternoon.

emolm · January 2013

I got mine the second full week of September.

I really don't understand why it's so hard for ppl to understand the difference bt the flu and the stomach flu either. Le sigh.

atangiblewish · January 2013

SouthSideDrea:

MeghanKG:
I forgot to add...if anyone hasn't went for a flu shot yet, both CVS and Rite Aid WON'T give flu shots to pregnant women. So just go directly to your doctor. This may just be a MA thing, but just a heads up.

They wouldn't give me one in IL either, had to wait it out and get one from my OB.

I got mine from CVS today. I advised them that I was pregnant and they had to verify that they had the correct one on hand...Maybe some areas dont have it? Like I said, she had to look to see if they did. They gave me Fluzone - non preservative, not active, prefilled syringe.

bumpuser8448316 · January 2013

Bacon+lettuce+tomato:
skio:
Baconlettucetomato:
This is scary. We also have whooping cough going around our area. I just want to hide in my house away from everyone.
Yeah, pertussis has been all over for a while. I'm making everyone in both our families get the DTAP shot before this baby comes or they can't come in contact with him/her before the first round of shots. Are news outlets revealing whether or not the flu strains causing the outbreaks are strains covered by the vax?
It depends on the strain. There isn't a huge outbreak of one strain(so far) that stands out like there was with H1N1. It really is just a ton of people with the flu.

According to the NYT article I read the strain they are seeing overwhelminly is H3N2. Also H1N1 has been reported, and both are covered in this year's flu shot as well as a Strain B.

When I was pregnant with DS the H1N1 vaccine was new and a separate shot from the regular flu shot because they hadn't anticipated it (or something like that) and there was a daily debate over getting the H1N1 vaccine vs. the "regular" vaccine.

Sunshine05 · January 2013

I got my shot back in November and had diagnosed flu in midDecember, but it was definitely much more mild than it could have been. It presented like a cold or sinus infection and I had no idea I had the flu. Stayed home after diagnosis, but felt bad for exposing my coworkers. My boss came down with it the next week, presumably caught from me, and we got our shots at work the same day.

Laurafaye · January 2013

MeghanKG:
I forgot to add...if anyone hasn't went for a flu shot yet, both CVS and Rite Aid WON'T give flu shots to pregnant women. So just go directly to your doctor. This may just be a MA thing, but just a heads up.

I got my flu shot at CVS in FL in November.

hoopduck · January 2013

I haven't got the flu shot since it was mandatory in school, and I've never, ever caught the flu since not getting the shots. I don't like vaccines (well needles really) of any kind, I will ask my doctor if I truly need one though. Scary!

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