| Show Health A shot of good BY TAMAR ASEDO SHERMAN for cold and flu millions had to delay flu shots of a shortage of vaccine Then many BEEN A DT’S BAD YEAR First favorite remedies were jerked from drugstore shelves after an ingredient was linked to strokes Y news about colds flu Luckily it’s not too late to get your shot and your drugstore has plenty of other remedies some of them improved Best of all researchers are flu vaccines and a cure for working on the common cold Catch up on the latest developments here non-need- le 1 The vaccine vacuum All this fall old and infirm people have waited in line for flu shots during chain-stor- e promotions going there because many physicians had no vaccine Some are still waiting The unusual shortage was due to manufacturing problems in growing one strain of the flu virus As new vaccine became available it Is it a cold or the flu? fc J& was distributed to doctors clinics and corporations on a basis Production is now perking along and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says CLICK ON LINKS more on colds and flu XFor usaweekendcom visit vaccine will be available for everyone — 75 million shots — before the flu season truly gets under way in January and peaks in February and March Because of that timing Gregory A Poland MD chairman of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group in Rochester Minn says there’s no cause for alarm if you still have 'V not gotten a shot After getting a vaccination “you need only a good 14 days for maximum protection” Still the CDC ordered 9 million more doses for this month as a safety cushion for high-ris- k patients: those with diabetes anemia or chronic heart lung and kidney disease pregnant women and people undergoing chemotherapy This year the CDC added two groups to its list of people who should get shots — but says broader recommendations have not worsened the vaccine shortage The added groups: Those over 50 Before those over 65 were urged to get shots the new guideline recognizes that many people ages 5 are chronically ill and at high risk if they catch the flu Young children Vaccinating children helps families according to a CDC study in October’s Journal of the American Medical Association Because 70 of children under age 5 are in day care they are at high risk of contracting the flu When kids were vaccinated their families had 80 fewer potential flu cases More significant: economic savings in absences from work to care for sick kids and decreases in doctor visits earaches and antibiotic use 50-6- nr' 22 USA WEEKEND Dec 2000 £ £ c 0 |
