Immunity debt

" Immunity debt is not a new idea, though the specific coinage is fairly recent (and some experts bicker over the specifics of what the phrase does and does not mean). Its painful lesson has been learned by American honeymooners who drink the tap water in Cancún, Nigerian Americans who skip malaria prophylaxis while visiting their cousins outside Abuja, and unvaccinated seniors who were hospitalized from COVID-19 while their boosted peers suffered a mere head cold. At its heart, immunity debt is Immunology 101: Hosts whose immune systems haven’t been properly primed are more prone to infection and severe disease."

It seems there's a price to pay for all that unnecessary masking of children the last 2.5 years.

https://slate.com/technology/2022/12/immunity-debt-explainer-rsv-covid-masking.html

Can we survive this pandemic’s economic fall out?

I survived the “Asian Flu,” 1957-1958 (was sick, but the college didn't close) with about 1.1 million deaths worldwide, 116,000 of those in the U.S. I survived the “Hong Kong Flu,” 1968-1972, with about 1 million people worldwide, including 100,000 in the U.S. I don't remember if we had it--maybe that time Phil threw up all over Dr. Batterson wasn't the chili. I also survived the 2009 H1N1 pandemic which was first detected in the U.S. in April 2009. There were an estimated 60.8 million cases, 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 deaths. I don't remember anyone blaming President Obama. Certainly not the media.

You can read the summary at https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/cdcresponse.htm. Medical measures like testing, public announcements, and vaccines were used. The only economic measures I saw in the summary were travel advisories. The economy survived those pandemics. The schools didn't close. The elderly didn't die alone in nursing home lock downs. I just don't know about this pandemic. Can we survive our "leaders?"

What I said about the 2009 Swine Flu in April 2009: https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/swine%20flu

Coronavirus is novel, but the old fashioned is bad, too

While coronaviruses aren’t new, this particular one (known as 2019-nCoV) is. “We’ve seen coronavirus before, but this is a new version,” Gonsenhauser says. “So any time there’s something new people automatically go to Ebola and the zombie apocalypse, thinking that it’s untreatable and deadly. That’s not what we’re seeing. It’s certainly spreading more rapidly than SARS did, but it’s not more dangerous than other viral strains.”

As U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stated in a Jan. 28 press briefing: "This is a very fast moving, constantly changing situation,” adding, “but, at this point, Americans should not worry for their own safety."

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/the-flu-has-killed-10000-americans-as-the-world-worries-over-coronavirus-221101770.html

We’ve been sitting in a hospital for 5 days and observing a lot of sick people with relatives and friends coming and going.  Face masks, tissues, gloves, hand sanitizers and signs in Chinese seem to be everywhere.  Still, I see a lot of medical personnel ungloved, perhaps an allergy to the latex?

I’ve been out of the news loop for some time, but I think I heard on a radio news show that 750,000,000 Chinese have been quarantined.  I can’t even imagine that—twice the population of the USA and they are restricted in movement?  I keep wondering—who gets out to repair things that break down?  Who is stocking the stores? Who is doing the transport?

This account, assembling stories from various sources, sounds quite draconian.  Even stories of people be welded inside their apartments. Have no idea if it is authoritative of just click bait. https://www.theorganicprepper.com/quarantine-in-china/

Watch for these symptoms

Flu symptoms for adults

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough—This is VERY important.  You think you’ve turned the corner, but you’ll fall in a hole.

The flu. Mike Rowe, flying with his parents

Mike Rowe is the "Dirty Jobs guy," and is a very funny person, but often with serious messages.

"Flying to Chicago with the parents, who are recently recovered from the flu. The doctor allowed them to travel, but advised them to take every precaution…

Mom: Michael, will it embarrass you if we wear our surgical masks on this flight?

Mike: Not if you’re performing surgery.

Dad: Don’t be a smart guy. We’re strapped into a giant Petri dish. The doctor says these masks could save our lives!

Mike: Only if your wife actually puts the mask over her nose.

Mom: I don’t like it over my nose. It fogs up my glasses.

Dad: Then what’s the point? The germs will get up your nose if you don’t keep it covered!

Mom: But I can’t see the Sudoku if my glasses are all fogged up!

Mike: He’s right, Mom. If you’re gonna wear the mask, you might as well wear it properly.

Mom: But if it’s over my nose, I’ll be breathing CO2. That’s a deadly gas, you know.

Dad: Good grief, Peggy, do you think the doctor would tell us to wear a mask if it were gonna kill us!

Mom: What do YOU know, John? You’ve got your string wrapped around your hearing aid!

Dad: What?

Captain: Welcome aboard, everyone. We’ll be flying into a pretty stiff headwind today, but we’re still gonna do our best to assure an on-time arrival.

Dad: “Do our best?” What the hell does that mean? Don’t they always do their best?

Mom: He sounds sleepy, Michael.

Mike: Who, Dad?

Mom: No, the Pilot.

Mike: He’s not sleepy, he’s just bored.

Mom: I hope there’s a co-pilot. Do you suppose there’s a co-pilot up there?

Mike: Probably. Where else would they put him?

Mom: Do you think he’s wearing a mask?

Flight Attendant: Excuse me, can I get you two something to drink?

Dad: Pardon me?

Flight Attendant: I said, CAN I GET YOU TWO SOMETHING TO DRINK?

Dad: Yes, please, I’d like some orange juice.

Flight Attendant: I beg your pardon?

Dad: Some orange juice, please.

Flight Attendant: I'm sorry, sir, can you speak up?

Mom: John, take your mask off, she can’t understand you.

Dad: I’m not taking this mask off. She might be infected!!

Mom: So I guess you’ll be drinking your orange juice through the mask?

Dad: Maybe I will!!!

Mom: Well then, I’m not putting this stupid thing over my nose!!!

Flight Attendant: I can come back later…

Mike: To answer your question, Mom, no - this isn’t embarrassing at all…

His stories (Mondays with Mother) about his mother are hilarious. 

Allen West on fighting Ebola (from Facebook)

“Listening to Obama’s speech on attacking the virus Ebola. Just kinda wish he had been this proactive and energetic about confronting another virus, ISIS, back in January. Islamic jihadism is a virus that is already in America, guess that is cool with Barack Hussein Obama. I would rather send 3000 tough hard combat troops to fight ISIS and ensure the epidemic of Christian and religious minority genocide ceased. The world needs to step up against Islamo-fascism but I suppose fighting Ebola is easier for a faux Commander-in-Chief than to fight a real enemy of America. Nice optics there Barack, good try to change the subject, and make yourself seem like a leader fighting a really bad flu bug -- all the while you dismiss the cockroaches who behead Americans.”

I don’t know how many people die of Ebola, but it’s probably not as high as the flu in the USA.

A new analysis of the past 31 flu seasons, put out by the CDC this afternoon, shows that 36K might have been a third too high. It's more like 23,607 per year, on average. But it all depends on how you slice the data. NPR

Stomach flu—Norovirus

Use soap and water, not hand sanitizer to protect from the flu virus.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers may stop bacterial infections and even cold and some flu strains in their tracks. But when it comes to norovirus, they don’t do much good. That’s because alcohol in the sanitizer can rupture the "envelopes" around viruses like the flu, according to the New York Times. Norovirus doesn’t have such an envelope, so the alcohol doesn't destroy it.

A CDC study of long-term care facilities published in 2011 found that those where the staff primarily used hand sanitizer to disinfect were six times more likely to have a norovirus outbreak than those where staffers lathered up with soap and water.

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/stomach-flu-prevention/#ixzz2keSzMDzF

This year’s flu shot

Today my husband said, “Let’s get our flu shot.”  “OK.” So he called to make an appointment.  But the recording was so confusing with instructions of how to go to the emergency room, or how to get English, or how to wait for our doctor, we just got in our car and went to his office.

I had just been there in July, but apparently another Obamacare computer change was in the works and things were chaos.  This time our Medicare cards were scanned instead of photocopied, she recorded our race and ethnicity, and the computer took our photo to add to our records.  One of the staff members came in carrying her portable/lap top version and was about to have a meltdown.  The staffer at the desk mumbled and grumbled that she’d prefer a notebook and pencil to all this nonsense.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_fluzone.htm

“Why is a higher dose vaccine available for adults 65 and older?

Human immune defenses become weaker with age, which places older people at greater risk of severe illness from influenza. Also, ageing decreases the body's ability to have a good immune response after getting influenza vaccine. A higher dose of antigen in the vaccine is supposed to give older people a better immune response and therefore better protection against flu.”

Just 24 days

Things have changed since my first child was born in 1961. The thought then was that they needed some time to build up immunity before meeting the world and its bacteria, viruses and contaminants. When I was on my way out of the coffee shop this morning I stopped at a table and asked, "How old is your little one?" "Three and a half weeks," she said. So I looked it up at several web sites thinking perhaps there was new advice. Doesn't seem to be.

"Immediately after birth, the newborn has high levels of the mother's antibodies in the bloodstream. Babies who are breastfed continue to receive antibodies via breast milk. Breast milk contains all five types of antibodies, including immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin D (IgD), immunoglobulin E (IgE), IgG, and immunoglobulin M (IgM). This is called passive immunity because the mother is "passing" her antibodies to her child. This helps prevent the baby from developing diseases and infections.

During the next several months, the antibodies passed from the mother to the infant steadily decrease. When healthy babies are about two to three months old, the immune system will start producing its own antibodies. During this time, the baby will experience the body's natural low point of antibodies in the bloodstream. This is because the maternal antibodies have decreased, and young children, who are making antibodies for the first time, produce them at a much slower rate than adults.
Once healthy babies reach six months of age, their antibodies are produced at a normal rate."

Add to that it is flu season; our government is hyping a pandemic; the mother might not be breastfeeding; the table where I sit always needs to be wiped down before I use it; it was noisy and confusing with strangers' voices (like mine) battering her little ears; she couldn't focus yet so was staring at the brilliant can lights above.

Maybe someday someone will investigate the increase in allergies and autism in today's children (peanut butter, gluten, pets, etc.) over those of 40 years ago and find out if they inhaled things in the built environment before their bodies were ready for the insult to their delicate systems.

Sometimes things aren't as they seem

Have you been wondering about the more than usual chaos in the vaccine supply this year? First they hype the H1N1 flu; then tell everyone to get the seasonal flu vaccine; then waffle on who should get H1N1; leak stories about health providers not wanting it; then show long lines of people waiting.

So, is this 1) intended to induce panic so you'll feel out of control and turn even more to the government or 2) it's a preview of how the socialized medicine system will work.

Here's today's item from OSUToday, which every day sends me something different

". . . only faculty and staff who have previously registered for an appointment will receive their seasonal influenza vaccination. Walk-ins can no longer be accommodated due to the remaining supply of vaccine dedicated for campus use. Keep in mind, the university's supply is running very low, as stated yesterday."

There's two more click throughs to find out about swine flu, which will also require prior registration and supplies will arrive on a weekly basis.

Our church (UALC) has cancelled its two seasonal flu shot Sundays (with Kroger Pharmacy), something it does each year. Wasn't a problem last year. I got mine at Walgreens before they ran out, and my husband found a dr. office that had 2 left and he went there directly.

Please sneeze in your sleeves

Alice’s e-mail from the University of Nebraska has been coming to me for well over 10 years. I don’t know if there is a “real” Alice or not, but she always has good things to say about food, nutrition, health and safety. This month she had a number of humorous videos on hand washing.

I liked this one the best. It’s from the Maine Medical Association (c2005). If you are Obamaphobic, you don’t have to worry. The sneeze in your sleeve message has been going around for a long time. But they are right--it's a difficult concept when you've been taught all your life to use your hand or a Kleenex.



Some of the videos showed proper hand washing technique, but most left the water running the whole time. Isn't that a bit wasteful? Will it be the Greenies against the germophobes? I think "passing the peace" at church will probably evolve to a shoulder or hip bump. And I'm sure many of the old time Lutherans will be happy to stop that frivolous act of fellowship. I saw in the paper the French are giving up cheek kissing, too.

Time to think about flu shots and pneumonia vaccine

It's been so hot (in the midwest), you've probably not thought much about flu season or pneumonia. Most of the churches and many of the large supermarkets around here are offering flu shots for older and at risk people. I know there are those who think vaccines are part of some sort of conspiracy cabal (just who this bad element conspiring to kill us with vaccines is, I'm not sure--but I think they drink the Kool-Aid with the Princess Diana conspiracy folks). With the bad news about hospital acquired infections, I would think you would want something preventative to keep you or your elderly parents out. Maybe they won't die of pneumonia, but they might acquire something else really ugly.

"Among patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, those who had previously received the pneumococcal vaccine had a lower risk of death and admission to the intensive care unit than patients who were not vaccinated, according to a report in the Oct. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine 2007; 167(18):1938-1943, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the causes of pneumonia--23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV)--has been available since 1983. Most guidelines recommend PPV for those at high risk of developing pneumonia, including older adults and nursing home residents."

In this study of nearly 3,500 patients in Canada, "22 percent had been vaccinated with PPV, and 624 died or were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Those who had been vaccinated with PPV were less likely to die or be admitted to the ICU than those who had not been vaccinated (10 percent vs. 21 percent). This finding was mostly a result of lower ICU admissions--less than 1 percent of those vaccinated were admitted to the ICU, compared with 13 percent of those who were not vaccinated. Results were similar when the researchers looked only at patients older than 65 or those living in nursing homes--groups for whom universal PPV vaccination is recommended." [from Newswire via JAMA ]

3196 See your Healthcare Provider if. . .

That phrase drives me crazy. Do you know who falls under that term, "healthcare provider?" Here's the definition I found at Medscape when discussing who should have the flu vaccine among health workers. The definition of healthcare provider included in the ACIP and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) statement, published in February 2006:

"A healthcare provider refers to all paid and unpaid persons working in healthcare settings who have the potential for exposure to infectious materials, including contaminated medical supplies. Healthcare providers might include but are not limited to: physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, technicians, emergency medical service personnel, dental personnel, pharmacists, laboratory personnel, autopsy personnel, students and trainees, contractual staff and persons, for example, clerical, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance and volunteers not directly involved in patient care but potentially exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted to and from the healthcare provider."

According to the article, adults can shed influenza virus for up to 24 hours before they develop symptoms and for typically 4-5 days after the onset of symptoms. So staff you see at a doctor's office often are coming to work when they are shedding virus. They found that the majority of healthcare workers come to work while they still have symptoms from what might be influenza. The CDC reports that fewer than 40% of health care workers have been vaccinated.

Call me cranky, but why isn't this "recommendation" made a condition of getting their paycheck during the flu season?

influenza vaccination, healthcare providers, influenza