Not Everyone Affected by Swine Flu Seeks Treatment November 1
The supply of swine flu vaccine may not seem enough and the lines to get the vaccine may not be getting any shorter, but there is another aspect of the pandemic that does not seem to be getting enough attention — treatment.
U.S. health officials are saying that not everyone who should be getting treatment for swine flu are actually getting it, and it is not because resources are not enough to accommodate them. Despite the fact that all indications point out that swine flu continues to spread, only about half of patients who need immediate treatment for H1N1 flu are actually seeking treatment. Even among those who have underlying conditions such as asthma, heart disease and lung disease, only half reportedly sought medical treatment.
It seems that aside from encouraging people to get themselves vaccinated, health officials also need to find a way to encourage people who actually develop swine flu to seek the appropriate care, treatment and help. When we come right down to it, at this point, when there are still some issues with the supply of the vaccine, it may be prudent to put more focus to getting people to seek medical attention if and when they need it.
That does not mean, though, that health care professionals in emergency departments are just sitting by idly. They are still inundated by patients, alright, just not the ones who need medical care.
The challenge here may be helping people recognize the symptoms and make that critical decision to seek help at the right moment. While the CDC and local health officials have widely circulated the symptoms since this health-related issue started in April, the fact that the symptoms themselves may be misconstrued as something else that is not all that worrisome may be confusing to some people. What we the citizens can probably do is to try to achieve that appropriate mix of not overreacting but still being keen in determining whether or not it is time to seek help.
Tags: swine flu detection, swine flu medication, swine flu pandemic, swine flu treatment, swine flu updates, swine flu vaccine
Tammy Domanico Nov 3
I am a hospital health professional ashmatic patient who has sought treatment for flu symptoms from my asthma/allergy MD since the first business day after onset. At 46 yo I had nevr requeste sick time from my doctor in my life! I was so ill from the flu that I was absent from work from Monday through the following Wednesday. My unsympathetic MD who presecribed: nebulizier treatments prn, schedled Symbicort inhalations, Allegra, Singuliar, Nasonex and a antihihistamine nasal spray refuses to
believe that an asthmatic patient needs more than 48 hours off work for the flu, and insisted that I should have called the office and made an appointment 48 hours after my initial appointment. In my treatment plan it was not mentioned that I need to call the office and reschudule an appointment after 48 hours after seeing him as I was told I had a virus and that I needed to drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Ie….a week later the MD suspects that I had H1N1….Dr. Correra in Fort Lauderdale..a nice caring guy unless u require time off from work due to illness. If he is your MD don’t rely on him to protect you if you have a viral infection or any king of illness. My symptoms included a fever in the office of 100. I had severe malaise, I slept 16-18 hours a day plus had an annoying dry hacking cough at night plus nightly cold/hot sweats. 7 days after I saw the MD….he refused to believe my symptoms and beleive that after 48 hours everyone should return to work.