Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Vaccine

Protect yourself, protect your community

A new FREE vaccine to protect Australians from pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus is ready. Panvax® H1N1 vaccine was registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on 18 September 2009.
There is clear evidence of serious or fatal health complications for some people who catch this flu. It is a new strain of flu that spreads easily from person to person, and experience in other countries shows that this is not just a winter flu – it could come back during spring and summer.

Vaccination is the safest response for the community, particularly as large numbers of people continue to be infected, and some are suffering serious health complications. By getting vaccinated you can protect yourself and help stop this flu spreading.

How a vaccine works

Panvax® H1N1 Vaccine contains extracts of protein from the new flu strain. Once you get vaccinated, proteins prompt your body to produce antibodies to protect you from the virus.
Protection after vaccination varies from person to person, but people generally start producing the antibodies that provide protection two weeks after the vaccination. Protection is expected to last for at least one year.

This vaccine does not contain live virus and cannot give you influenza.

People who should get immediate vaccination

All people can get vaccinated but some people are more at risk of severe outcomes if they catch this flu. Vaccination is strongly recommended for:

• Pregnant women
• Parents and guardians of infants up to six months old
• People with underlying chronic conditions, including:
  • heart disease;
  • asthma and other lung diseases;
  • cancer;
  • diabetes;
  • kidney disease;
  • neurological disease;
  • other chronic conditions (talk to your GP)
• People who are severely obese
• Indigenous Australians
• Frontline health workers
• Community care workers

Where do I get vaccinated? How do I get this vaccine?

Vaccinations will be available from 30 September. Vaccination will be available from a range of locations, including GP offices, vaccination clinics, hospitals and health centres. To check vaccination location in your State or Territory, go to:

Health department websites and phone numbers

WA: call 1800 186 815 or visit http://www.health.wa.gov.au/swine_flu/home/
SA: call 1800 022 222 or visit www.flu.sa.gov.au
VIC: call: 1300 882 008 or visit www.humanswineflu.health.vic.gov.au
TAS: 1800 358 362 (1800 FLU DOC) or visit www.pandemic.tas.gov.au
ACT: call 02 6205 2300 or visit www.health.act.gov.au/flupandemic
NSW: visit www.emergency.health.nsw.gov.au/swineflu/vaccination/index.asp, or call 180 2007 for your local Public Health Unit contact
QLD: 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or vist www.health.qld.gov.au/swineflu/html/vacc.asp
NT: call 08 8922 8044 or visit www.swinefluvax.nt.gov.au

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 18th October 2009

The  Legionnaire’s Disease syndrum

Can be fatal if not treated

It  is an extremely severe form of pneumonia. The cause of Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterium, specifically the bacterium called legionella. This is a disease that is difficult for people to transmit between each other.

Most people come down with this disease by inhaling bacteria out of the air. There are specific groups of people that are more at risk for coming down with this disease. The specific groups of people that are at a high risk for this disease are people that smoke, adults that are older, and people with weakened or damaged immune systems.

Legionella bacterium is also a type of bacterium that can result in a specific type of fever called Pontiac Fever. The Pontiac fever is a milder type of fever that resembles the common flu.

Has been found in commercial air conditioner units and potting mixes with a high level of stagnant moisture.

The good news is that this fever is usually an illness that clears up on its own without serious medical treatment. Most people do not realize that Legionnaires ’ disease can be fatal if it is not treated. The good news is that antibiotics can easily cure the disease, but catching the disease early on is the key to successful treatment.

There are several common symptoms that are related to this unusual disease. In most cases the first symptoms develop anywhere from a couple to fourteen days after taking in legionella bacterium.

Some of the symptoms that you can come down with include headaches, muscle pains, chills, and a fever of over 104 F. By the time you actually have the disease in your system you can also have symptoms of chest pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite. In very severe cases you can even come down with a symptom of mental confusion.

Knowing when to see a doctor can be difficult if you think you have this disease. If you have any of the symptoms you should monitor them extremely closely. If you think you have the disease because of symptoms that you have you should immediately seek medical attention at the doctor’s office.

The key to stopping this disease in its tracks is catching it early in the piece. If you fail to catch this disease early on it will be more difficult to treat. By diagnosing it early you can stop it from spreading to other parts of your body.

If you do come down with the disease you should not panic.

Be aware that it is a disease that is completely treatable so just stay calm and take care of your body!

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 24th August 2009

Mexican Swine Flu:  You are at Risk?

The latest outbreak of swine flu that has millions of people across a variety of countries sweating like pigs with worry is not the typical swine flu that affects pigs primarily. Swine flu is a new strain of flu that originated in Mexico.

It is a combination of strains of bird, pig, and human flu.

It is important to understand exactly what Swine Flu is and how you can protect yourself from it.

You do not need to be overly concerned or panicked, but you should act with some  caution. The first strain of the flu was found in Mexico and then it began to spread to other parts of the world. As a result WHO raised the pandemic level all the way to level 5. This is one level below a full blown pandemic. By the end of spring of 2009 the Swine Flu had subsided, but health officials were still concerned about it coming up again in the fall.

Swine Flu has been extremely over rated. The reason for this is that thousands of people die from influenza each and every year. The Swine Flu has only killed a few people which is a small number compared to how many deaths fever causes annually.

Usually influenza causes about 350,000 deaths each year.

Most of these influenza deaths are in older people who have weaker immune systems. Some pigs in Canada were even diagnosed with the H1N1 Flu, or Swine Flu. As a result millions of people stopped eating pork. This is not necessary because cooking meat kills the flu. In Egypt, hundreds of thousands of pigs were slaughtered because of the fear of Swine Flu.

One of the most dangerous things about this flu is that it can live on non-living objects. That means if someone has swine flu and coughs on a counter, you can get the flu by touching that counter. That is the main reason as to why people are so scared about this specific strain of the swine flu.

You may want to walk around with a disinfectant so that you can use it on your hands to prevent from getting the swine flu. Washing your hands is one of the best things you can do to prevent yourself from contracting the H1N1 virus. As long as you wash your hands and stay away from sick people you should have no problem avoiding the swine flu.

There is also talk of a vaccine in the works for this particular strain of swine flu but it may not be available until late 2009.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 24th August 2009