CDC swine flu update: 52nd week

Sunday Jan 10, 2010 (foodconsumer.org) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a swine flu update on its website Jan 8 revealing that four more children died from swine flu during the week ending Jan 2.  This is compared to two deaths in the previous week. Overall, swine flu now has not been as active as it was in earlier months in 2009.

By comparison, the number of pediatric deaths for this week is small; since Aug 30, a total of 188 deaths have been caused by the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. The CDC did not elaborate on the health status of the pediatric victims or their vaccination status.  It is also unknown whether these four children received any antiviral treatment.

According to an early report by the health agency, the majority of children who died from swine flu suffered chronic health conditions; bacterial co-infection has presented as another important risk factor. It is also apparent that delayed antiviral treatment may not be effective in helping pediatric patients infected with swine flu.

The CDC did not give any description of the hospitalization rates associated with swine flu except some vague description located on a graph that is not easy for laymen to interpret.

“During week 52 (December 27, 2009-January 2, 2010), influenza activity decreased slightly in the U.S.,” the health agency states in its update.  However, even though the number of deaths is in steady decline, the government has not stopped promoting H1N1 vaccination.

On Jan 8, the CDC released an advertising letter signed by over 30 healthcare providers, including the American Medical Association, American Nurse Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and The American Association of Colleges of Nursing to deliver a message that H1N1 flu vaccine is safe and effective.

Ironically, while the public was urged to get vaccinated with the vaccine, thousands of New York State health workers refused last year to receive a state mandated vaccination against H1N1 flu.  The opposition was so intense that the New York state government gave up the regulatory requirement.

It seems that the government has stopped saying “swine flu could kill millions”.  Instead, it says now that fighting swine flu is a matter of responsibility.  The letter states that "fighting the flu is a shared responsibility. We ask you to join us in this flight to protect yourself and your community by getting the H1N1 flu vaccine."

Right now there are over 136 million doses of swine flu vaccine available and more are coming each day, the ad says.

The CDC also released on Jan 8 a picture showing President Barack Obama getting a shot, but there is no way to know from the picture what he’s actually getting; there is no caption on the PDF file that he is receiving a flu shot.

According to time.com, swine flu infections continued to drop and only Alabama was reporting widespread cases last week. In comparison, four states reported widespread cases the previous week.

The magazine also cited the CDC as reporting Friday that there are no signs of seasonal flu right now, but more flu activity than expected at this time of year.

Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert of the Vitamin D Council, says in one of his newsletters that “almost two-thirds of our dead children (from H1N1 virus) had epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or other neurodevelopmental conditions like mental retardation.”

Early studies by Dr. Cannell and others suggest that maintaining high levels of serum vitamin D may help prevent swine flu or other types because the nutrient triggers production of antibacterial peptides and boosts the innate immunity system.

Now that swine flu vaccine is not effective in 100 percent of the recipients, concerned food consumers may consider taking this dietary supplement regularly particularly in the winter time.

Reporting by David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton