This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Swine flu: an endocrinologist’s perspective
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Several patients with diabetes asked me last week about novel influenza H1N1, otherwise known as “swine flu.” Some of them asked me if I was willing to write a prescription for an antiviral for them to have on hand “just in case.”
What is interesting is that some of these were patients who have always refused annual vaccinations for seasonal influenza. They have many reasons. The most common are, “It’s only the flu,” “Flu shots don’t work,” and “I always get sick after a flu shot.” Now, however, they are anxious about getting swine flu.
Annual influenza vaccinations are advised for high-risk individuals, including the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus. Of course, our current influenza vaccination does not protect against H1N1. It may take many months before a vaccine effective against H1N1 is developed and a sufficient supply is available.
Some of the initial features of H1N1 truly were concerning, such as the higher death rate when initially discovered, a tendency to affect healthy adults instead of elderly and young children and uncertainties regarding how widespread of an epidemic or pandemic this will be.
The media seems to thrive on scaring the public. Dissemination of information is necessary and desired. However, too often the media speaks in sound bites and fails to reveal the entire story. There is much we do not know about H1N1. At present, the number and severity of cases seem to be waning.
Will this trend continue, or will H1N1 return as a pandemic this fall as many predict? If it does, what will the extent and severity be? There are many uncertainties.
However, there is also much that we do know about influenza. Normal seasonal influenza results in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the United States annually. These deaths could be prevented by annual influenza vaccinations. Many patients who are at risk do not receive vaccinations.
Yes, there is much we do not know about H1N1. However, we need to keep everything in perspective. At the present moment, the risk of contracting (and dying) from normal seasonal influenza is higher than from H1N1. I use my patients concerns about “swine flu” as an opportunity to educate them about the benefits of annual influenza vaccination. I discuss other means of reducing the spread not only of influenza but all viruses, such as frequent hand washing. If/when a vaccine effective for H1N1 becomes available, I will advocate for that just as I always have for routine vaccination in patients at risk.
For patients seeking more information, I refer them to the CDC’s website: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/