Influenza

Los Angeles County revealed the locations of 17 clinics that will distribute 40,000 doses of flu vaccine to high-risk patients later this month. The announcement comes a day after health officials learned of the first reported case of influenza in the county -- a man on the Westside who contracted a mild form of the virus and did not require hospitalization. "It doesn't tell us how severe the flu season will be," said county Public Health Director Jonathan Fielding. The clinics will open at 9 a.

About three months ago, Samantha Slattery approached her nanny about getting the H1N1 flu vaccine. Slattery, 33, of Topanga, had a 5-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son. The baby was too little to be vaccinated, and Slattery wanted to avoid vaccinating her son. But nanny Blanca Duarte refused. Duarte, 47, said she was afraid the vaccine would make her sick; she had gotten ill after a flu vaccination years before. "For three weeks I could not work," Duarte said. "After that, I said no more."

Government health officials said Tuesday that they were "looking intently" at developing a swine flu vaccine. "It will be a matter of deciding not to make a vaccine rather than deciding to move forward," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But undertaking work on a vaccine would be challenging. In a typical year, formulating the nation's flu vaccine is a tricky proposition. This is not a typical year.

Crush some garlic and add a dash of cayenne pepper. Brew with the juice of six grapefruit. Bombard with positive thoughts--this, like, being Southern California. And, oh yes, let someone tuck you into bed with tender, loving care. This concoction was among the nearly 200 responses sent in by readers who shared their best cures for wintertime colds and flu. Chicken is big, booze is bigger. And lots of readers have faith in salt, onions, garlic, and sizzling teas and soups.

Chiron Corp., the company responsible for last year's flu vaccine shortage, said Friday that it would not ship 8 million doses slated for non-U.S. markets because of another bacterial contamination incident, this time at a German factory. The Emeryville, Calif.-based company also disclosed that it would need additional approvals before shipping vaccine to the U.S. from its factory in Liverpool, England. Analysts said this meant deliveries could be delayed until late in the flu season.

When Gary Risner is in top form, he's able to work 70 hours a week and come home between his day job as an advertising salesman and his night job as a disc jockey with enough energy to cook dinner and provide good company for his wife, Erin. "When I'm well," he says, "I'm as nice as can be." But when Gary has the flu, he's a different person.

An outbreak of swine flu that may have killed as many as 60 people prompted authorities in Mexico City to close schools Friday throughout the sprawling city of 20 million and order emergency health measures in an attempt to contain the disease. In the United States, officials said they had found one new case in San Diego, bringing the number of U.S. cases to eight. All have recovered fully.

Americans tend to be complacent about the flu, even though it kills an estimated 36,000 people every year. But this season the virus showed up early and many more children than usual are being sickened, some fatally. So the nation is paying more attention. In past years, health officials have had a difficult time persuading people to get a flu shot, and millions of doses went unused. With the public growing increasingly anxious this year, there hasn't been enough flu vaccine to meet the demand.

The flu season in California this winter is turning out to be one of the mildest in recent years. The number of severe influenza cases resulting in deaths in children is also down. There have been three pediatric influenza-associated deaths so far this winter, with deaths reported in Riverside, Fresno and Alameda counties; in the same time period last winter, there were five pediatric deaths associated with influenza.

Coughs, fevers and other flu-like symptoms are keeping a lot of people out of school and work this winter, but most aren't actually sick with influenza. Flu viruses, say the experts who track them annually, have arrived late and, so far, in small numbers to Southern California, compared to last winter when they attacked nationwide in epidemic proportions.

The odds of a third wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza hitting this spring seem to be declining, but authorities are concerned that the virus is still spreading, though at a reduced rate from its peak, and is not disappearing as would be expected in a normal influenza outbreak, federal officials said Friday. "I think the most likely scenario now . . . is ongoing transmission of the virus, which continues to circulate," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The odds of a third wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza hitting this spring seem to be declining, but authorities are concerned that the virus is still spreading, though at a reduced rate from its peak, and is not disappearing as would be expected in a normal influenza outbreak, federal officials said Friday. "I think the most likely scenario now . . . is ongoing transmission of the virus, which continues to circulate," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

About three months ago, Samantha Slattery approached her nanny about getting the H1N1 flu vaccine. Slattery, 33, of Topanga, had a 5-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son. The baby was too little to be vaccinated, and Slattery wanted to avoid vaccinating her son. But nanny Blanca Duarte refused. Duarte, 47, said she was afraid the vaccine would make her sick; she had gotten ill after a flu vaccination years before. "For three weeks I could not work," Duarte said. "After that, I said no more."

For parents worried about a child sick with the flu, deciding when to head to the emergency room can be difficult. Unlike the typical seasonal flu, which is generally most dangerous to infants and the elderly, the H1N1 strain has hit children, teenagers and young adults unusually hard and with little warning. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated earlier this month that more children have died from the H1N1 flu than people over 65, about 540 children as of mid-October compared to 440 seniors.

At least seven people were injured Friday when a woman seeking a flu shot accidentally drove her car into a line of waiting vehicles at a drive-through vaccination site in Bakersfield, according to police. The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. at Bakersfield College, according to a Police Department news release. "While waiting in line to receive a vaccination, the driver suffered from an apparent medical condition," the statement read. The woman accidentally pressed the accelerator, sending her vehicle into several other cars, a bus and a tree, which was torn from the ground, police said.

LeBron James and teammates Darnell Jackson and Coby Karl have tested positive for Influenza A, and are being treated as if they have the H1N1 virus. H1N1, also known as swine flu, is a strain of Influenza A, and though the Cavaliers have not gotten back H1N1 test results on the three, the team said it is being proactive in treating players and the traveling party to Texas. The Cavs play at San Antonio today and in Dallas on Saturday. James, who will travel with the team, returned to practice Thursday after spending two days resting at home.

As the county's health officer, I would like to share with you some important information about influenza. As the evidence has shown since the emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus in the spring of this year, the new flu is pandemic and is the predominant strain circulating in our community. Each year, influenza results in thousands of deaths in our community, and the H1N1 flu has demonstrated that it affects children, young adults and pregnant women more severely than the general population.

Health officials are expressing concerns about California's preparedness for the upcoming flu season, in which an already strained healthcare system will have to cope with seasonal influenza as well as the swine flu. The California Department of Public Health on Thursday warned that as many as one in four Californians may be sickened this year by swine flu, officially known as the H1N1 strain. Officials are racing to prepare for what is expected to be a large increase in the number of people seeking flu shots because of growing public unease about the swine flu. Interviews with hospital officials this week indicate that medical facilities, doctor's offices and pharmacies still have a way to go to be ready, particularly if this year's flu season is severe.

Kathleen Sebelius won Senate confirmation Tuesday as the nation's Health and Human Services secretary, thrusting the former Kansas governor into the middle of the public health emergency involving swine flu. The 65-31 vote came after Democrats urged quick action so that Sebelius could get to work leading the federal response to the flu outbreak. "We find ourselves in the midst of a global crisis," Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said.

Government health officials said Tuesday that they were "looking intently" at developing a swine flu vaccine. "It will be a matter of deciding not to make a vaccine rather than deciding to move forward," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But undertaking work on a vaccine would be challenging. In a typical year, formulating the nation's flu vaccine is a tricky proposition. This is not a typical year.