So far, Swine Flu hasn’t seemed very serious.  Most cases have recovered fully; fewer than 500 people have died from it in the US so far this year.  This is a remarkably low number, considering the high rate of transmission.

But the concern is that if the Swine Flu virus mutates into a more virulant strain, but retains its high contagiousness, things could get much worse.  This is what happened during the 1918 pandemic of H1N1 flu, which killed 100 million people (5% of the world’s population).

Our medical care is certainly better than it was in 1918, and we hope that another pandemic like 1918′s would not be as lethal.  We now have antiviral medications, better hospitals, antibiotics, and better worldwide communications.  But we are not completely protected:  strains of Swine Flu resistant to antiviral medications have been reported.  And many people in the world have never seen a doctor and can’t get to a hospital at all!

I recommend that everyone get a flu vaccine.  Adults should get them, for their own protection and so that it doesn’t spread to the kids.  Kids should get them, for their own protection and so it doesn’t spread to their friends and classmates.

Flu shots are routinely given to kids 6 months and older.  (Nasal spray vaccination is a nice alternative for kids over 5 years old who don’t have asthma.)  Two vaccinations, one month apart, are required if you’ve never had flu vaccine; one vaccine per year is required after that.  This year, vaccine against Swine Flu will be administered separately; we probably won’t get ours in stock until Thanksgiving according to the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Never had a flu shot?  This year is a good time to start!  Afraid of the flu vaccine?  There’s no reason to be; people who claim that the “flu vaccine made me sicker” are usually confused by a coincidental illness unrelated to the flu vaccine.

Keep checking my website (click here); I’ll keep posting updates about flu vaccine and Swine Flu.

–  David Epstein MD