ERs hustling to keep up with H1N1 cases

(CNN) -- Nate Wordell, 7, just feels lousy: swollen eyes, cough, high fever, stomach ache and he's dehydrated. Nate has H1N1.

After toughing it out for three days at home, Nate's parents brought him to the emergency room at Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts. "The hardest thing for us was that we couldn't stay ahead of the medication or get him to keep any water down," says Nate's father, Michael Wordell of Auburndale, Massachusetts.

Hospitals from coast to coast are bracing for the influx of patients, just like Nate. Children's Hospital Boston has seen a 40 percent increase in patients this week alone.

"This could get pretty bad," says Dr. Anne Stack, clinical chief of emergency medicine at Children's Hospital Boston. "So we are trying to do as much as we can to prepare. But no one knows when it will end."

Many hospitals are creating alternative care sites in parking lots or in office buildings to handle an overflow of patients in the weeks ahead. Children's Hospital Boston has designated a conference room as a go-to H1N1 triage center. "We don't have additional space so we had to think outside the box," Stack says.

The conference room can be "flipped" in 24 hours, Stack says. "All we have to do is wheel in portable sinks, exam tables, computer equipment, cots and curtains. Everything is on standby. We're ready."

But some state health officials say emergency rooms are being unnecessarily strapped by children who don't actually need to be there. Most physicians don't test for the virus or prescribe medicine to healthy children who come in with flu-like symptoms.

"The children we are worried about are those who have influenza symptoms and chronic disease [neuromuscular, heart disease, lung disease] or kids under the age of 2. Their immune systems can't fight things off as well, and the severity of their symptoms can grow rapidly," Stack says.

These high-risk children often report having trouble breathing. That's because H1N1 virus lowers the lungs' ability to pump out enough oxygen.

Intensive care units are also preparing for an increase in patients by tapping into reserve medical equipment, machines like the heart-lung device called ECMO or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. ECMO helps the lungs heal faster by delivering small breaths into the lungs frequently, rather than large breaths less frequently.

"This machine helps a child get 900 breaths a minute, which is one of the best ways we treat critically ill children with H1N1," says Dr. Jeffrey Burns, chief of the Division of Critical Care Medicine and director of the Medical/Surgical ICU at Children's Hospital Boston. Burns has treated over 40 critically ill kids so far this year.

Of the children who have died, two-thirds had underlying health conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The children without a pre-existing condition who died appear to have developed a secondary infection after their system was compromised," Stack says.

However, some parents fear not seeking medical treatment will result in their child's symptoms becoming exacerbated and life-threatening. Experts advise parents be alert for symptoms that develop that are uncommon with influenza. The red flags are rash, trouble breathing, no urinating in six to eight hours, mental disorientation or the inability to keep liquids down.

"One thing to not worry too much about is a fever. A fever is one of our body's best defense mechanisms again infection. The H1N1 virus does not like to live at high temperatures, so it is a good protective mechanism," Stack says.

Until the rush of children to the ER slows down, hospitals continue to work on their contingency plans to handle the increase. "I can't stress enough that most parents don't need to bring [their] child to the ER. Lesson Number One is to stay home, manage the fever, watch for worrisome signs."

This is a lesson learned for seven-year-old Nate Wordell and his father. After a few hours in his hometown ER, he was given a prescription to be a "couch potato," then sent on his way home. "He'll probably be back playing with his siblings and back to his old self about two days from now," Stack says.

from:http://www.cnn.com

News Update: Seasonal Flu Shot Cannot Give You H1N1

With two separate flu viruses threatening people right now, some doctors fear that those who acquire the H1N1 virus after receiving a seasonal flu shot will blame the shot for their illness…and not come back next year.

"One has absolutely nothing to do with the other, but if people think the seasonal flu shot gave them H1N1, they are going to be less likely to get the shot in the coming years," said Dr. Jeff Kalina, associate director of emergency medicine with The Methodist Hospital in Houston. "This could lead to thousands of additional people coming down with the seasonal influenza virus.

Between five and 20 percent of the population gets the flu every year. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu-like symptoms and more than 35,000 people die from the seasonal flu every year. Flu season runs from November through March. It is important to get a shot as soon as possible because it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take effect. For children who are afraid of needles, a nasal-spray flu vaccine has been proven to provide protection against strains of the flu.

The H1N1 vaccine is available in very limited quantities and is not expected to be broadly available this year. Influenza is spread mainly from person-to-person when the infected person coughs or sneezes. However, you can also catch it by touching something with flu virus on it and then putting your hand to your nose or mouth. This is why it is especially important to practice good hand hygiene during flu season.

Kalina says the elderly, people with heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS are all in the high risk category for contracting the flu and need to receive a seasonal shot every year.

"What people need to understand is that it's impossible for the flu shot to give you the flu because it does not contain a live virus. Once people understand this they will realize that there is no way it could have given them H1N1," Kalina said. 'So please, if you received the seasonal flu shot and get H1N1, come back and get the shot again next year. You will help save your life and everyone else around you"

From: The Methodist Hospital website at http://www.methodisthealth.com

H1N1 Swine Flu Death Rumor Not Confirmed

An online list of H1N1 deaths lists one for Val Verde County, but state health officials have been unable to provide additional details about the case.

According to the Department of State Health Services Web site, the death was reported prior to Oct. 10. The site also lists two hospitalizations related to the virus, more commonly known as swine flu.

The site also notes there have been 13 deaths attributed to H1N1 in Region 8, which spans 28 counties, including Val Verde. The bulk of those deaths were reported in Bexar County, in which San Antonio is located.

Region 8 Medical Director Dr. Sandra Guerra said Friday afternoon no additional information about the Val Verde case, including age, gender or date of death, was immediately available.

Guerra said the death does not change the way the virus is being handled by health officials locally. Earlier in the month Guerra explained that public health agencies no longer track individual cases.

When H1N1 first appeared in April, Guerra said it was important to track cases so public health officials would know what they were dealing with, but once the virus reached pandemic levels, tracking stopped.

And, public school districts are no longer being asked by the state to report cases of H1N1, even to parents.

“Since H1N1 is so widespread across Texas and our region, schools are asked to not send home notices of H1N1 cases or suspected flu cases in a classroom or school,” said Guerra in early September during a conference call with school district officials within the region. Districts are asked to provide a report to the state if the virus creates absenteeism high enough to cancel events.

The only cases local health officials are required to report are those involving hospitalized patients, especially those in intensive care units, deaths related to H1N1 and any unusual presentation of the illness.

Because symptoms and treatment of H1N1 and the seasonal flu are nearly identical, Guerra said hospitals are not longer testing for the virus, which can be costly.

She said Friday vaccines for the virus are trickling into communities, but large supplies likely would not be available until mid-to-late November.

And while some primary doctors in the area have the vaccine available, Guerra said the initial doses are being primarily administered to those most at risk, namely children under five and pregnant women.

“Once the high risk groups have been vaccinated, we can focus on the general population,” said Guerra.

In the meantime, Guerra said to continue practicing good health and hygene habits to help avoid contracting the virus.

By Jennifer Killin
Del Rio News-Herald

Healthy Blogger | Healthy Living Formula

Being a good blogger is a beginner or already an expert & good SEO, in other words to be a web master who wandered in the universe of bloggers and the web's, surely he's just an ordinary human being. Fix?

Every Blogger would have a mainstay moves, how to blog / website that he has to attract as many visitors. However, if we revert to the status of that Blogger is also a human, surely they have problems of their own. Okay, here I will not discuss personal problems of Blogger, but I want to discuss is "How do you become healthy Blogger" is not only physical health, but also spiritually healthy.

From here I categorize the types of Blogger 2.

1. Physical Health Blogger.

There have been many outstanding articles, appeal, call on how to maintain a healthy body. With the development of human civilization is marked by increasing sophistication of human science and technology, all things can now be done with a quick & instant. Well the ways that makes people more males perform activities that require a long process.

Direct us to a healthy discussion of physical Blogger. Blogger activity, surely he front of the computer for some time, and some even 24 hours in front of the computer. This activity will lead to disturbances such as: eye fatigue, body aches, headache, leg numbness, aching hips.

The things above can be felt by the Blogger every day & if only left alone with the assumption that "Oh that's normal" will result in disruption of the health of the Bloggers to run some time to come. Disturbances are perceived is a result of the muscles in encouraged to concentrate on one direction of the computer. As a result the blood flow becomes less smooth.

To minimize disturbances above is, if you feel tired, rest for a moment, do not be too concentrated in one point in a long time, frequently stretching limbs. Other activities to maintain health is by exercising regularly, eating healthy, and well enough sleep. I think with the 3 way, we can maintain our physical health, so that activities can be smoothly Blogging & Blog we are always lots of visitors.

2. Spiritual Health Blogger

Here it is unique, because it can be a healthy Blogger physically healthy is not necessarily spiritually. Many are good at blogging, but what percentage of the blogger have to take care their spiritually healthy.

In the Internet, a lot of information that we can get. Lots of good blog or website that provides a variety of information. But the Internet also has its own dangers, what if the Internet user looking for good information articles, photos or videos that contain pornography & adult. The user would easily find what he was looking for. If we look at the user looking for information & adult pornography and whether he got it from your blog or website. Well, web or blog where it obtained the information it must be made & manage that must be a Blogger or Webmaster.

Bloggers & Webmasters who manage the information that is pornographic & adult be categorized into a spiritual Blogger sick. How do I treat it?

I actually, there's only one way of telling how the Blogger can heal, that is by faith & faith strengthen the praying to gods, there is no power beyond him.

This article may be useful .....

Swine Flu Volume Two Attack U.S.A

A total of 46 U.S. states and Washington D.C. faced widespread flu activity as production delays continued to hamper distribution of swine influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in the country, said a U.S. health officials on Friday (23/10).

"We are now in the second stage of epidemic influenza," said Director of the federal agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thomas R Frieden in Atlanta, at a briefing.

"Forty-six states reported widespread activity," he added.

Statistical data released by the CDC, Friday, showed that the state did not face widespread flu activity are Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, and South Carolina.

Since the beginning of the spread of H1N1 flu in April and May, according to the CDC director, more than 1,000 deaths from the virus and more than 20,000 people in hospital have been recorded across the country.

A CDC poll released Thursday found that one in five children in the U.S. flu-like disease early in October, and most cases were suspected to be a swine flu A/H1N1.

"We estimate that influenza will spread in several waves. We can not predict how high, how far or how long the wave will occur or when the next wave will come," said Frieden.

When the American people are demanding H1N1 flu vaccine, the production delay a few weeks after the vaccine schedule because it grows more slowly on egg-based activities compared with the creators had expected, resulting in fewer doses.

"Until Friday, there were 16.1 million doses in the entire country, up from 14.1 million on Wednesday," said Frieden.

"It's disappointing for us all. We are now not be where we expected. We're nowhere near that predicted the vaccine makers," he said.

Due to production delays, the government should retreat from the optimistic early estimates that as many as 120 million doses of vaccine will be available in mid-October.

"What have we learned in more than two weeks later is not the only virus that can not be predicted, but the vaccine production forecast was far from our expectations," said Frieden told reporters.

Flu virus must be developed in chicken eggs and the results are not as much as originally expected, CDC officials said. "Even if you berate them, they would grow faster," said Frieden.

Plus a spread of H1N1 virus vaccine production delays which can not be predicted to make complex CDC strategy against a second wave epidemic.

"Is this going to continue until the autumn and into winter, whether it will disappear and return in the winter, only time will tell," said Frieden.

E Cigarette, Hot 2009 Trend For Stop Smoking

Followed by the success of the entire E family, including Email, Ecommerce etc. the next big thing is probably the E Cigarette. This electronic smoke has emerged as a unique substitute of conventional tobacco cigarettes first invented in 2004 by an electronic company in Beijing, China. Since then, its use has touched, in fact reformed the lives of those inhaling injurious chemicals through normal tobacco cigarettes.

What Is an E Cigarette?

An E cigarette is also known as an electronic cigarette. The electronic cigarette looks tastes and feels just like a real cigarette but it is totally safer. The reason why these new E cigarettes are much safer than the traditional tobacco cigarettes is because they don’t burn any tobacco. I know what you are thinking; if they don’t burn tobacco then how can you get the same effect? There is a simple answer to that. The electronic cigarette doesn’t give off smoke when you inhale it. When you do puff on the E cigarette, you inhale nicotine water vapor rather than smoke.

The electronic cigarette is a great new alternative to smoking device which is providing smokers with a safer alternative to tobacco smoking. The electric cigarette is made up of 2 main parts, the battery and the liquid nicotine cartridge that has a built in atomizer in it. The liquid nicotine cartridge screws right onto the battery. The battery looks like the white stem of a real cigarette and the cartridge looks like the tip or filter end of a real tobacco cigarette.

When the smoker puffs on the electric cigarette, the battery sends an electrical charge to the atomizer that is located in the cartridge. The atomizer then heats up the liquid nicotine and turns the liquid nicotine into water vapor. When the smoker exhales, he or she is blowing out water vapor and no smoke. These is a huge benefit compared to smoking regular tobacco cigarettes because since there is no tobacco burning, there is no need for a lighter, no need to worry about inhaling carcinogens or 4,000 other chemicals and poisons that you would get smoking tobacco cigarettes.

On top of that there is no need to worry about cigarette smell or second hand smoke either. The electronic cigarette provides smokers with the nicotine hit that they crave without all the deadly side effects. This is what makes these E cigarettes so much safer to smoke than traditional tobacco cigarettes. You will see in the very near future the true benefits of these E cigarettes. Are you ready to become tobacco free?

I guess the answer depends on your smoking habits of each. But iam ready to use E Cigarette. I think it also a new alternative product to stop the bad effects caused due to conventional smoking

50 Ideas for a Healthy Lifestyle that only take 10 Minutes

What is a Healthy Lifestyle?

According to a study by Michigan State University, a healthy lifestyle is defined by four basic criteria:
• Not smoking
• Holding weight down
• Eating right
• Exercising
Of the 153,000 respondents, only 3% participated in all four of what are termed healthy lifestyle characteristics.

“We have millions of people now going through adult life leading unhealthy lifestyles and a medical system that can treat illnesses and keep you alive longer than ever before,” said Mathew Reeves, aMichigan State University epidemiologist. “If we don’t turn this around, the costs to society are going to be crippling.”

What can be done to help people change?

Everyone talks about achieving it, but most people have plenty of excuses as to why they can’t, won’t, or don’t want to change their current status. The most common excuse people make for not trying to havea healthy lifestyle is “a lack of time.” Have you ever said to yourself, “ Oh, I’m tired, I don’t have time to exercise?” or “I don’t feel like cooking dinner tonight; let’s just get some fast food.”

Yes Dorothy, excuses are real and they are contagious.

Time and health always seem to be at odds with each other. We have time to work, time to commute, time for our business associates, but very little time to spend on ourselves, people we love, or even random people who deserve our attention.

What can you do in 10 minutes or less?

More than you think. In a brief 10 minute window you can release tension, prevent future frustrations, get your blood flowing, etc. In fact, here are 50 things you can do. With time out as an excuse, what are you going to begin doing differently tomorrow? I don't care what it is, the point is, just do something!

Here are some ideas. If you have other thoughts, leave them in the comments!

1.Brush your teeth
2.Do 15 sit-ups
3.Read the health news headlines of the day
4.Straighten your posture
5.Eat an apple
6. Stand up and stretch
7. Send a friendly email to a friend
8. Resist the impulse purchase of a candy bar
9. Post an inspirational quote on Twitter
10. Do 10 lunges
11. Drink a glass of water
12. Smile
13. Put a package of oatmeal in your pocket or purse for a healthy breakfast or snack
14. Throw a bottle of water in there as well
15. Plug your cell phone into the charger
16. Pay a bill online
17. Ask to have your salad dressing on the side
18. Start a dollar jar to be added to once per day
19. Open a window
20. Say thank you to someone who deserves it
21. Take a deep breath
22. Put on your seat belt
23. Wake up 10 minutes earlier
24. Post a comment on a blog
25. Turn off the lights when you’re the last one out
26. Put on your make-up (this usually pertains to the ladies, but hey, whatever makes you happy)
27. Share a healthy recipe
28. Give your mother a call
29. Wash your hands
30. Put on hand lotion
31. Check your blood pressure
32. Jog in place for 9 minutes
33. Throw away that pen that doesn’t work
34. Take a canvas tote bag to the grocery store
35. Ask a friend to join you for a healthy dinner
36. Put down the remote control and get up to change the TV channel
37. Hug your kids
38. Replace your next cup of coffee with a cup of tea
39. Lay out your clothes for the next day
40. Put your car keys in the same place everyday
41. Take a 10 minute break
42. Suck on a breath mint
43. Add a little pepper to your salad
44. Load the dishwasher
45. Play FreeRice for 5 minutes
46. Take a quick walk
47. Prepare your coffee maker the night before
48. Skip your late evening grocery store run
49. While watching TV, do 5 push-ups during the commercial
50. Read this list over again and count how many things pertain to you

These things take no time at all but they all could ensure a positive day and a healthier lifestyle. How many of these do you or can you do in a day? What other things can you add to the list?

Whatever you choose to do, make your day healthier and happier. If you can, do the same for someone else too, because, after all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!