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WebMD:

Australian researchers report that a 15-microgram dose of H1N1 vaccine — double the dose approved for U.S. kids under age 3 but the same dose given to older kids — raised anti-H1N1 antibodies to protective levels in more than 90% of children ages 6 months to 9 years.

But the CDC warns parents not to act on this information, noting that that in other studies, kids needed two doses of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine for protection.

Currently Australia and the CDC are in disagreement on this and are trying to prove one another wrong. Who do you agree with?

Post from: Blisstree

Australia and CDC Disagree on H1N1 Shot

A detailed report released by the CDC, and reported today by the North County Times, puts the condition into perspective, but hardly puts my mind at ease. According to the report, unlike the usual seasonal flu that kills half or more of children age 4 and younger, the swine flu is taking a higher toll on school-age kids. At least 40 – or about one in 13 U.S. swine flu deaths – are in children between the ages of 5 and 17. Some epidemiologists say that may be because school-age kids are more apt to be around other kids at camps and school than younger children. That may also explain why the Southeast is seeing more cases of swine flu than other regions, because our schools tend to start earlier.

Other differences between the ordinary flu and N1H1 detailed in the CDC report include secondary conditions. For example, two-thirds of the children who died from swine flu had an underlying neurodevelopmental condition such as epilepsy or cerebral palsy, compared to one-third with ordinary flu. And, other germs, such as a bacterial infection, on top of the swine flu proves more deadly to otherwise healthy children. Of the 10 children who were healthy before they got N1H1 but died from the virus, eight had a bacterial infection, such as bacterial pneumonia, along with the flu.

The CDC doesn’t track the usual seasonal flu so it is hard to say whether the swine flu is more prevalent than the ordinary flu. But there is some good news. The virus doesn’t appear to be mutating to become more deadly than it is now, as some scientists have feared.

Photo, JWJourney

Post from: Blisstree

CDC Report: School-Age Kids At High Risk

During a pandemic, children and pregnant women are at high risk of serious complications and even death if they become ill with the flu, according to the March of Dimes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed extensive plans for minimizing the impact of the pandemic flu, and once a vaccine has been developed for the virus causing the pandemic, pregnant women and children from age 6 to 35 months would be given highest priority for receiving it.

For information on how to protect yourself, your unborn child and your young children visit these sites from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Information for Concerned Parents and Caregivers

Guidance for Prevention and Control of influenza in the Peri- and Postpartum Settings

Photo, Flickr, honey-bee

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Swine Flu Precautions for Nursing, Pregnant

A diet high in sodium increases the risk of having higher blood pressure, a major cause for heart disease and stroke. These diseases are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.

“It’s important for people to eat less salt. People who adopt a heart healthy eating pattern that includes a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium and calcium can improve their blood pressure,” said Darwin R. Labarthe, M.D., Ph.D., director of the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. “Reducing sodium intake can prevent or delay increases in blood pressure for everyone.”

“People need to know their recommended daily sodium limit and take action to reduce sodium intake,” Labarthe said. Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods. CDC along with other HHS agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, will be working with major food manufacturers and chain restaurants to reduce sodium levels in the food supply.

(photo credit: stock xchng)

Post from: Blisstree

Americans Eat Too Much Salt

Regarding these HPV vaccines that will protect women against cervical cancer, the CDC recommends that the vaccine should be routinely given to girls at 11-12 years of age – the stage before young girls are more likely to become sexually active.

Now there is a new project that will evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of these vaccines.

The said project -funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – will be jointly conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Department of Health.

The said project is an attempt to determine how many people are receiving the vaccine and whether or not it is having a measurable impact on rates of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions.

Find more details from University of Rochester Medical Center.

[Photo Credit: URMC]

Post from: Blisstree

Cervical Cancer Vaccine To Undergo Evaluation