Is the fedex man delivering more than just packages?

There is a story that is told in medical history about a milk delivery maid who was dubbed 'Typhoid Mary' because she single handed contributed to the biggest typhoid epidemic in England. An interesting story often told to very green medical students as an introduction to the term "carrier".

A patient of mine came in recently with the Swine Flu H1N1) he was very sick and was still wearing his Fedex uniform. I advised him that the type of work he was doing and his exposure to the elements would only make him sicker, needless to say I put him out of work for a week.

As I looked at this poor person with bloodshot eyes, sweating and coughing up a storm, I had cause to rethink our (the Health Establishment's) definition of 'High Risk' patients i.e those who are eligible to recieve the H1N1 vaccine. Surely the delivery man innocently delivering packages from one establishment to the next and potentially picking up infection at one and depositing it at the next, is at high risk. Not only that, he (or she) presents a risk to the community at large as he proffers his pen with a grin and the instruction to 'sign your name!' before darting off to the next densely populated building.

In my office we have been lucky enough to have had the H1N1 shot throughout the 'shortage' and we have religiously followed the Health departments instructions to limit its use to high risk individuals; children ages 6 months to 24 years, healthcare workers and pregnant women. As of this week I have opened it up to many more people that I consider high risk such as teachers and metro workers.
I have been struggling with the idea from the beginning that students need to be vaccinated but not those who teach them. Maybe I am more sypathetic because my husband is a professor or just because I have NEVER seen my 17 year old son as sick as he was with the Swine Flu. He rarely gets sick but this bug made him as sick as a dog! (He came down with it 3 days before I recieved my supply of vaccines ...........).

Anyway to cut a long story short, come on and get your H1N1 vaccine, lets curb this epidemic. It takes 2 weeks to develop a good immunity so hurry in, next week is Thanksgiving and yes, if you drive a UPS truck ................ you are welcome too!

It really IS an epidemic this time!

Yes, we have H1N1 shots in our office and Yes, I recommend them!
We have been inundated with people who have flu-like symptoms as well as people coming in for the vaccine. It really qualifies as an epidemic this time around. The local school board is posting the percentages of absenteeism for every school that has at least 10% of the kids out sick and there are no schools that are NOT on the list! One school was recorded twice with almost 20% of the students out sick.
One of my patients came in today with a red eye, body aches, fever, headache and generally feeling yucky and mentioned that at her elementary school (she is a kindergarten teacher) 10 teachers were out sick on the same day which resulted in general chaos as they tried to move the teachers and volunteers around to fill in the gaps.
One anecdotal observation: I haven't seen a single patient who has tested positive for Swine flu on culture who doesnt have a cough and a fever. Interesting since with regular flu you dont always have a cough. Body aches and sore throat are also extremely prevalent symptoms.

What to do? Well, first of all if you have any of these symptoms Stay Home! Spray your door knobs and counter tops with Lysol or the equivalent. Cough into your elbow and put hand sanitizer on your hands frequently. Get treated early.

We treat all our patients aggressively with homeopathic remedies, vitamins and supplements along with prescription anti-virals. Almost all are better within 3 days ............... except for that cough! If you start treatment late that cough can drag on for weeks. Inhale steam as much as possible and avoid cold drinks.

Prevention: Always the best option.
Get your Flu shots, both regular and the H1N1 (call the office if you need one). Stop by and pick up your "Well Being" and Vitamin C and Cod Liver Oil take them thru the winter, its going to be a rough one.
Stay out of crowds.

Warning:
Beware The Flu is usually worse after Thanksgiving ( after all the hugs and kisses). This year it started really early and with a vengeance, and if it is going to get worse after Thanksgiving we all need to be pro-active!