Swine Flu

Dr. Charles Lapp wrote in his August 2009 newsletter an article on what worried ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia patients should do about the Swine Flu.   It’s only natural that chronically ill patients would be extremely worried about a pandemic such as the H1N1 Swine Flu and how it may affect our health.   Dr. Lapp says about Swine Flu:

At the time of this writing, the swine flu has become widespread in the southern United States, especially the Southeast. However, the illness prevalence, the number of doctor visits, and the morbidity is still no worse than the usual seasonal influenza. It is expected that the number of cases will increase as school resumes because H1N1 is rapidly spread by coughing and sneezing, hand-to-hand, or hand-to-body contact.

Dr. Lapp offers the following recommendations when it comes to vaccinations for the Swine Flu, as he has had several patients ask him if vaccinations should be given to us. 

Our usual recommendations on influenza vaccinations are that they have been known to trigger flares of CFS/ME/FM; that many PWCs to do not respond to vaccination anyway; and that viral infections are uncommon in most PWCs due to upregulation of the immune system.

Therefore, we would recommend seasonal flu vaccination only if you have tolerated these well in the past and if  you are at high risk.

He says a new vaccine needs to be produced because the flu is so new and that probably won’t be available until the end of October.  He says  that H1N1 usually infects those under the age of 24 and the vaccination will more than likely be made available to high risk groups first.  This includes those under the age of 24, pregnant women, anyone who lives with or cares for children under 6 months old, healthcare workers, and anyone over the age of 24 who have compromised immune systems that make them a higher risk for H1N1. 

Dr. Lapp says that ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia patients are not considered to have weakened immune systems compromised to the point of high risk unless there is a history of frequent viral infections and/or pneumonia.  The vaccine may not be available to the majority of the population until late in the season after the peak of the Swine Flu.  He recommends that patients:

Avoid crowds and sick people (especially coughers and sneezers!).

Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand cleansers. 

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with your bare hands.

The symptoms of Swine Flu are fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headaches, body aches, fatigue, chills, and possible vomiting and diarrhea.  If you think you have Swine Flu, you should:

• Call your doctor’s office.
• Avoid contact with anyone for at least 24 hours after the fever breaks.
• Wear a surgical mask in case you come in contact with others.
• Recognize these warnings signs and seek medical assistance immediately for difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, increased confusion, severe or persistent vomiting, and flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough.

Dr. Lapp states there are two antiviral medications that can be taken to lessen the severity of the Swine Flu and to reduce the symptoms.  These have to be started within 48 hours of the illness onset, however.  They are not to be used to try to prevent the flu.  For adults, the medications and doses are:

• Tamiflu / oseltamivir (75 mg tablets taken twice daily for 5 days) or
• Relenza / zanamivir (two inhalations twice daily).

As I sit here trying to recover from strep throat, I wonder if  CFS, Fibromyalgia and other immune-compromised patients should be taking extra precautions to avoid swine flu.  Chronic illness patients tend to get sick easier than healthy individuals and many of us feel that we are destined to get every illness that comes along because we can’t fight the viruses and bacteria off.  Swine flu, or swine influenza, is a respiratory illness in pigs caused by type A influenza virus.  In pigs, swine flu causes high rates of illness among pigs but low death rates.   

When I was watching the news tonight and found out that the swine flu had reached dangerous new levels, I immediately felt a twinge of panic because of how easily and often I get sick.  A possible pandemic is not something an underfunctioning immune system wants to deal with.  Rationally, I know that getting all worked up and getting excited isn’t going to help anything and the stress can only further deteriorate my health. 

At the time I am writing this, the number of reported cases of swine flu in the U.S. (no fatalities) is 48 in New York, California, Ohio, Kansas and Texas.  In Mexico, there have been a total of 2,000 believed to be infected with 149 deaths.   Worldwide there have been a total of 73 reported cases.  According to the World Health Organization:

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

 

According to the CDC, the symptoms of swine flu in humans is similar to those of the regular flu. These symptoms include:

• fever
• lethargy
• coughing
• loss of appetite
• runny nose
• sore throat
• vomiting
• nausea
• diarrhea

Person-to-person transmission of swine flu is spread the same as the flu – through sneezing, coughing, or touching something that an infected person has touched then touching their mouth or nose. 

Swine flu is diagnosed with a respiratory specimen that needs to be taken within the first four or five days of the illness.  There are four medications used to treat swine flu:  amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir.  The CDC says that the most recent outbreaks of swine flu have been resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.

While it’s not good for us to panic, I think that we should definitely be proactive and take preventive measures, especially if you have a chronic illness like ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia.  What can we do to help prevent swine flu?  The CDC recommends we:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

CFS & FM patients should do all of the above and:

• Make sure you are getting enough rest so that you can build up your body in case it needs to fight off swine flu.
• Take antioxidants.  You can get antioxidants from certain foods and in supplements.  Right now pomegranate juice is the latest and greatest that people are drinking to get the antioxidant benefits. 
• Eat the daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Also make sure you are avoiding sugar and other unhealthy foods that can run your body down.
• If you are able to do some light exercising, do so in moderation to help build up your body.
• Take immune support supplements.  Pro Health sells a good immune supplement called Transfer Factor Essentials. 
• Take your vitamins!
• Try to get enough sleep.  Take sleep medication if necessary.
• Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!  Make sure you are washing your hands thoroughly and use hand sanitizer wipes or other disinfectants as often as needed.  If you work with the public, touch money, etc., you will need to have these on hand daily.
• DON”T PANIC!