Avoid virus-linked cancers, including cervical cancer, with shots

With a simple vaccine, you can avoid HPV-linked cancer, including cervical cancer and many cancers of the mouth, throat, anus and genitals, which constitute more than 3 percent of all U.S. cancer diagnoses. Vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) thwarts the virus’s spread, wrecks its ability to jump between people and inhibits a virus that in 2009 led to a cancer diagnosis for 30,000 people in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Insititue. 

HPV infection is common. More than half of women between 14 and 59 catch a genital HPV. Many of these infections are low-risk, but when the body does not sweep out HPV intruders, high-risk HPV infected cells may lead to the unchecked growth of cancerous cells, according to Newswise, a research-reporting service.

HPV is actually a family of more than 150 viruses that infect human skin and mucosa, the moist membranes lining the nostrils, mouth and genital cavities. Two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, prevent people from getting HPV infections by helping the body stockpile a medley of cellular defenses. Gardasil and Cervarix target HPV types 16 and 18, the two responsible for most cervical, anal, genital, and oropharynx cancer.  Blocking infection by types 16 and 18 also fights off other cancers, and the vaccines’ protection could last a lifetime. Gardasil also targets types 6 and 11.

It is important to complete the three-dose series for the vaccines; series completion rates are low for people in the Southern states, especially those that are poor and without private insurance, according to Newswise. Scientists are working to make a single vaccine that blocks infection by all HPV types, but today’s vaccines can prevent infection by two of the most common high-risk HPVs and may be the first step toward preventing HPV-linked cancers. (Read more)

With a simple vaccine, you can avoid HPV-linked cancer, including cervical cancer and many cancers of the mouth, throat, anus and genitals, which constitute more than 3 percent of all U.S. cancer diagnoses. Vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) thwarts the virus’s spread, wrecks its ability to jump between people and inhibits a virus that in 2009 led to a cancer diagnosis for 30,000 people in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Insititue. 

HPV infection is common. More than half of women between 14 and 59 catch a genital HPV. Many of these infections are low-risk, but when the body does not sweep out HPV intruders, high-risk HPV infected cells may lead to the unchecked growth of cancerous cells, according to Newswise, a research-reporting service.

HPV is actually a family of more than 150 viruses that infect human skin and mucosa, the moist membranes lining the nostrils, mouth and genital cavities. Two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, prevent people from getting HPV infections by helping the body stockpile a medley of cellular defenses. Gardasil and Cervarix target HPV types 16 and 18, the two responsible for most cervical, anal, genital, and oropharynx cancer.  Blocking infection by types 16 and 18 also fights off other cancers, and the vaccines’ protection could last a lifetime. Gardasil also targets types 6 and 11.

It is important to complete the three-dose series for the vaccines; series completion rates are low for people in the Southern states, especially those that are poor and without private insurance, according to Newswise. Scientists are working to make a single vaccine that blocks infection by all HPV types, but today’s vaccines can prevent infection by two of the most common high-risk HPVs and may be the first step toward preventing HPV-linked cancers. (Read more)

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It's not too late to get your flu shot, and getting it could not only help yourself and your family but your neighbors

It's not too late to get your flu shot, even though the flu has hit earlier and more broadly than usual, experts say.

It generally takes about two weeks for a flu vaccine to be most effective, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting the shot in mid-January might seem too late, but it's "better late than never," he said during a teleconference Friday.

The CDC says the flu has been widespread in Kentucky for more than five weeks, far more than last year. "Most of the country is seeing a lot of flu, and this may continue for several weeks," Frieden said. "We don't know if we are over the peak."

Getting a flu shot can protect your neighbors, too. The protection afforded by the current vaccine is an important tool in protecting the health of the general public. The flu can be serious, especially in senior citizens, those with other chronic health problems and children. This season's outbreak has led to the deaths of 20 children as of Friday.

The CDC has found that the current flu vaccine is 62 percent effective, meaning if you get vaccinated, "You are 62 percent less likely to get the flu," writes Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

It is also important that people with flu symptoms seek treatment. Anti-virals such as Tamiflu can be effective in reducing the most serious symptoms, Frieden said. "If you get flu-like symptoms, it can really help you avoid serious illness, hospitalization or even death," he said.

Meehan's story includes advice for dealing with children and tips about how to avoid getting the flu. To read it, click here.

UPDATE: In response to the flu, the University of Kentucky today limited visitation at its hospitals: None will be under 18 or have any flu-like symptoms, and only two will be allowed in a patient’s room at a time. Visitors may be issued masks or other protective clothing, and other restrictions may be imposed in special care units such as women’s and children’s units, critical care and oncology units. "Compassionate visitation exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis," a UK release said.

It's not too late to get your flu shot, even though the flu has hit earlier and more broadly than usual, experts say.

It generally takes about two weeks for a flu vaccine to be most effective, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting the shot in mid-January might seem too late, but it's "better late than never," he said during a teleconference Friday.

The CDC says the flu has been widespread in Kentucky for more than five weeks, far more than last year. "Most of the country is seeing a lot of flu, and this may continue for several weeks," Frieden said. "We don't know if we are over the peak."

Getting a flu shot can protect your neighbors, too. The protection afforded by the current vaccine is an important tool in protecting the health of the general public. The flu can be serious, especially in senior citizens, those with other chronic health problems and children. This season's outbreak has led to the deaths of 20 children as of Friday.

The CDC has found that the current flu vaccine is 62 percent effective, meaning if you get vaccinated, "You are 62 percent less likely to get the flu," writes Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

It is also important that people with flu symptoms seek treatment. Anti-virals such as Tamiflu can be effective in reducing the most serious symptoms, Frieden said. "If you get flu-like symptoms, it can really help you avoid serious illness, hospitalization or even death," he said.

Meehan's story includes advice for dealing with children and tips about how to avoid getting the flu. To read it, click here.

UPDATE: In response to the flu, the University of Kentucky today limited visitation at its hospitals: None will be under 18 or have any flu-like symptoms, and only two will be allowed in a patient’s room at a time. Visitors may be issued masks or other protective clothing, and other restrictions may be imposed in special care units such as women’s and children’s units, critical care and oncology units. "Compassionate visitation exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis," a UK release said.

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Rural states with declining immunization rates have increasing incidence of whooping cough

In the state that once had the highest immunization rate, Vermont's medical community is not so proud of anymore. Fewer people are vaccinating their children in the nation’s most rural state, reports Dr. Wendy Mahoney, a private practioner in the state. But Vermont isn't alone. Stories about declining immunization have come in from across rural America, Mahoney writes in the Daily Yonder, and they "come in the midst of a pertussis outbreak the likes of which Vermont has not seen in years, if ever." Pertussis is whooping cough.

Mahoney says she can find one reason for the recent outbreak: a new law in her state, like some in other rural states, that allows parents to exempt their children from required vaccinations "because of a personal, moral, or other belief." Mahoney says many rural residents use the exemption, which she finds hard to fathom in the face of scientific advances that prove that vaccination has ended smallpox, wiped out polio in most of the world, and controlled measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, influenza type b and other infectious diseases.

The top map shows the estimated percentage of children enrolled in kindergarten who have been exempted from receiving one or more vaccines in the 2011–12 school year. Comparison with the other map shows that states with large numbers of exemptions are those where whooping cough is making a comeback. (Centers for Disease Control maps)

A comparison between states with low vaccination coverage rates and those reporting higher numbers of whooping cough cases shows some, though not consistent, overlap. (Read more)

In the state that once had the highest immunization rate, Vermont's medical community is not so proud of anymore. Fewer people are vaccinating their children in the nation’s most rural state, reports Dr. Wendy Mahoney, a private practioner in the state. But Vermont isn't alone. Stories about declining immunization have come in from across rural America, Mahoney writes in the Daily Yonder, and they "come in the midst of a pertussis outbreak the likes of which Vermont has not seen in years, if ever." Pertussis is whooping cough.

Mahoney says she can find one reason for the recent outbreak: a new law in her state, like some in other rural states, that allows parents to exempt their children from required vaccinations "because of a personal, moral, or other belief." Mahoney says many rural residents use the exemption, which she finds hard to fathom in the face of scientific advances that prove that vaccination has ended smallpox, wiped out polio in most of the world, and controlled measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, influenza type b and other infectious diseases.

The top map shows the estimated percentage of children enrolled in kindergarten who have been exempted from receiving one or more vaccines in the 2011–12 school year. Comparison with the other map shows that states with large numbers of exemptions are those where whooping cough is making a comeback. (Centers for Disease Control maps)

A comparison between states with low vaccination coverage rates and those reporting higher numbers of whooping cough cases shows some, though not consistent, overlap. (Read more)

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Studies show that preteen girls who get the HPV vaccination are not more inclined toward promiscuity than those who don't

An electron micrograph of the
human papilloma virus.
(National Cancer Institute photo)

 

The most recent study of preteen girls who received the vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV) found that they were no more likely than unvaccinated girls to get pregnant, develop sexually transmitted infections or seek birth-control counseling. The findings in Monday's issue of Pediatrics are in line with recent studies on British teens, which also dismissed concerns that getting the vaccination might encourage promiscuity.  USA Today reporter Michael Healy writes that while the latest results were based on parental or self-reporting, the reports were corroborated by medical tests, clinical markers of sexual activity and other behavior markers.

Robert Bednarczyk, a clinical investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research-Southeast and an epidemiologist at Emory University in Atlanta., queried 1,398 girls, aged 11 and 12, and analyzed their medical records. He and colleagues divided the girls into two groups and followed them for three years. "One group of 493 girls received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, along with other recommended vaccines for tetanus and meningitis. A comparison group of 905 girls received the tetanus and meningitis vaccines, but not HPV," Healy writes. "There was a very similar rate of testing, diagnosis and counseling between both groups," with no increase in pregnancies, STIs or birth-control counseling, Bednarczyk reported. Fewer than 1 percent of all girls tested positively for a sexually transmitted infection, and fewer than 1 percent had a positive pregnancy test.  (Read more)

An electron micrograph of the
human papilloma virus.
(National Cancer Institute photo)

 

The most recent study of preteen girls who received the vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV) found that they were no more likely than unvaccinated girls to get pregnant, develop sexually transmitted infections or seek birth-control counseling. The findings in Monday's issue of Pediatrics are in line with recent studies on British teens, which also dismissed concerns that getting the vaccination might encourage promiscuity.  USA Today reporter Michael Healy writes that while the latest results were based on parental or self-reporting, the reports were corroborated by medical tests, clinical markers of sexual activity and other behavior markers.

Robert Bednarczyk, a clinical investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research-Southeast and an epidemiologist at Emory University in Atlanta., queried 1,398 girls, aged 11 and 12, and analyzed their medical records. He and colleagues divided the girls into two groups and followed them for three years. "One group of 493 girls received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, along with other recommended vaccines for tetanus and meningitis. A comparison group of 905 girls received the tetanus and meningitis vaccines, but not HPV," Healy writes. "There was a very similar rate of testing, diagnosis and counseling between both groups," with no increase in pregnancies, STIs or birth-control counseling, Bednarczyk reported. Fewer than 1 percent of all girls tested positively for a sexually transmitted infection, and fewer than 1 percent had a positive pregnancy test.  (Read more)

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Pharmacy student takes time to point out the "Top 10 things you didn't know your pharmacist could do for you"

Imagine yourself hip deep in pharmacy school. You are sweating bullets over classes in pharmokinetics, chemotherapy and biostats. What, ho! You see the calendar reads October and you realize it's American Pharmacists Month and you graduate in 2014 from the University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy and you want people to know you are acquiring mad skills. What to do? Write a primer about how much pharmacists can do for a community. And then put that primer -- via guest column -- in the Kentucky Kernel, the school's (sort-of) daily newspaper, where people who are consumers of good data like this will gobble it and put it to good use. Student Zachary Noel's list of "the top 10 things you didn't know your pharmacist could do for you" is worth repeating because Noel wants to do more than fill prescriptions, he wants to be a trustworthy health-care partner, something a lot of Kentucky communities could use.

Here's Noel's list of what pharmacists can do:
1) Immunize. Kentucky's pharmacists can provide flu shots and vaccinations, even for the human papilloma virus.
2) Economize. Just ask if you find yourself paying too much for your meds, there might be something your pharmacist can do.
3) Educate. Pharmacist are highly educated health-care providers who are often under utilized and more accessible than traditional sources. Don't feel you have to limit those questions to medication questions.
4) Stand guard. Think of pharmacists as a super-filter and your last, best chance to check that a medication is right for you.
5) Counsel. Vitamins, herbals, over-the-counter meds baffling? The evidence-based and experience-tested pharmacist will have some advice.
6) Prescribe. Yes, some pharmacists, writes Noel, "can enter agreements with various providers allowing them to prescribe or alter medication regimens, such as within the Veteran's Affairs hospital system."
7) Practice in interesting places. Like ERs, ORs, with vets.
8) Complete a residency. Pharmacists can opt for more schooling so they can specialize.
9) Medication therapy management. This means that pharmacists can review all your meds for interactions and make recommendations.
10) Compound. This is where they make stuff not already available. Where they create eye drops or topical ointments specifically for your use as directed by your doctor.
(Read more)

Imagine yourself hip deep in pharmacy school. You are sweating bullets over classes in pharmokinetics, chemotherapy and biostats. What, ho! You see the calendar reads October and you realize it's American Pharmacists Month and you graduate in 2014 from the University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy and you want people to know you are acquiring mad skills. What to do? Write a primer about how much pharmacists can do for a community. And then put that primer -- via guest column -- in the Kentucky Kernel, the school's (sort-of) daily newspaper, where people who are consumers of good data like this will gobble it and put it to good use. Student Zachary Noel's list of "the top 10 things you didn't know your pharmacist could do for you" is worth repeating because Noel wants to do more than fill prescriptions, he wants to be a trustworthy health-care partner, something a lot of Kentucky communities could use.

Here's Noel's list of what pharmacists can do:
1) Immunize. Kentucky's pharmacists can provide flu shots and vaccinations, even for the human papilloma virus.
2) Economize. Just ask if you find yourself paying too much for your meds, there might be something your pharmacist can do.
3) Educate. Pharmacist are highly educated health-care providers who are often under utilized and more accessible than traditional sources. Don't feel you have to limit those questions to medication questions.
4) Stand guard. Think of pharmacists as a super-filter and your last, best chance to check that a medication is right for you.
5) Counsel. Vitamins, herbals, over-the-counter meds baffling? The evidence-based and experience-tested pharmacist will have some advice.
6) Prescribe. Yes, some pharmacists, writes Noel, "can enter agreements with various providers allowing them to prescribe or alter medication regimens, such as within the Veteran's Affairs hospital system."
7) Practice in interesting places. Like ERs, ORs, with vets.
8) Complete a residency. Pharmacists can opt for more schooling so they can specialize.
9) Medication therapy management. This means that pharmacists can review all your meds for interactions and make recommendations.
10) Compound. This is where they make stuff not already available. Where they create eye drops or topical ointments specifically for your use as directed by your doctor.
(Read more)

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Eastern Kentucky native wants to alert Appalachian women about their high rate of cervical cancer and how to prevent it

University of Kentucky physician and Pike County native Baretta Casey, right, has spent most of her career providing health care and education throughout the state, with a focus on Appalachian Kentucky. The health disparities between Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the state, especially high rates of cancer, are of "special concern" to Casey, reports Ann Blackford of UKNow.

Cancer is prevalent in her Casey's own family, and this is why she "has taken on the challenge of helping reduce cancer rates in Kentucky, especially cervical cancer and other Human papillomavirus cancers," Blackford reports. Cervical cancer rates are highest in rural and Appalachian Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Cancer Registry from 2005 to 2009, the cervical cancer rate in the region was 9.85 per 100,000 people. The state rate was 8.6. The average of deaths per year in the region from cervical cancer was 258.

"We have the tools to change these high rates and make a real difference in people's lives," Casey said. "I feel the best thing I can do for the people of Eastern Kentucky is to educate about prevention and screening of cervical cancer." Casey became the director of the Cervical Cancer-free Kentucky Initiative at UK's College of Public Health's Rural Cancer Prevention Center in 2010. Through this position, she makes connections with county health departments, community organizations and health advocacy groups that provide education and funding for cervical cancer prevention projects.

"Casey is passionate about educating people on the importance of vaccinating their children against HPV," Blackford writes. She said she wants people to look past the controversy of vaccinating their children and realize the importance of the vaccine. "The vaccine given for the appropriate reason can save a life," Casey said. (Read more)

University of Kentucky physician and Pike County native Baretta Casey, right, has spent most of her career providing health care and education throughout the state, with a focus on Appalachian Kentucky. The health disparities between Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the state, especially high rates of cancer, are of "special concern" to Casey, reports Ann Blackford of UKNow.

Cancer is prevalent in her Casey's own family, and this is why she "has taken on the challenge of helping reduce cancer rates in Kentucky, especially cervical cancer and other Human papillomavirus cancers," Blackford reports. Cervical cancer rates are highest in rural and Appalachian Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Cancer Registry from 2005 to 2009, the cervical cancer rate in the region was 9.85 per 100,000 people. The state rate was 8.6. The average of deaths per year in the region from cervical cancer was 258.

"We have the tools to change these high rates and make a real difference in people's lives," Casey said. "I feel the best thing I can do for the people of Eastern Kentucky is to educate about prevention and screening of cervical cancer." Casey became the director of the Cervical Cancer-free Kentucky Initiative at UK's College of Public Health's Rural Cancer Prevention Center in 2010. Through this position, she makes connections with county health departments, community organizations and health advocacy groups that provide education and funding for cervical cancer prevention projects.

"Casey is passionate about educating people on the importance of vaccinating their children against HPV," Blackford writes. She said she wants people to look past the controversy of vaccinating their children and realize the importance of the vaccine. "The vaccine given for the appropriate reason can save a life," Casey said. (Read more)

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State health department says 381 cases of whooping cough puts disease at epidemic levels

The state Department of Public Health says whooping cough is now at epidemic levels. Department officials told Amanda Stephenson of WTVQ-TV in Lexington that 381 cases of the virus have been confirmed so far in 2012.  The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is reporting 50 cases so far this year. That's double the 26 cases they'd seen in the previous five years. Estill County health officials have seen a quadrupling of cases since July. (Read more)

Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Three Rivers District Health Department in Owenton, which serves Owen, Carroll, Gallatin and Pendleton counties, will offer shots at fall festivals in the district to stave off the spread of the disease. After 86 cases were confirmed in the area, the Northern Kentucky Health Department, which serves Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, is offering vaccines for $4.

The Fayette County department isn't planning special clinics at this time, so people who are worried about the illness should contact their family physicians. Some pharmacies, such as Walgreens, are offering the shots in their stores. There is an adequate supply of vaccine for children and adults, said Beth Fisher, a spokesperson for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

For more information on pertussis, and its symptoms, go to the CDC website.

The state Department of Public Health says whooping cough is now at epidemic levels. Department officials told Amanda Stephenson of WTVQ-TV in Lexington that 381 cases of the virus have been confirmed so far in 2012.  The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is reporting 50 cases so far this year. That's double the 26 cases they'd seen in the previous five years. Estill County health officials have seen a quadrupling of cases since July. (Read more)

Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Three Rivers District Health Department in Owenton, which serves Owen, Carroll, Gallatin and Pendleton counties, will offer shots at fall festivals in the district to stave off the spread of the disease. After 86 cases were confirmed in the area, the Northern Kentucky Health Department, which serves Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, is offering vaccines for $4.

The Fayette County department isn't planning special clinics at this time, so people who are worried about the illness should contact their family physicians. Some pharmacies, such as Walgreens, are offering the shots in their stores. There is an adequate supply of vaccine for children and adults, said Beth Fisher, a spokesperson for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

For more information on pertussis, and its symptoms, go to the CDC website.

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First cases of flu reported in Kentucky; not swine-related

By Tara Kaprowy
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky has its first confirmed cases of flu for the year, and officials are urging residents to get their vaccinations. (WYMT-TV photo)

The Department for Public Health reports six confirmed cases in Boyd County of the H3N2 strain, which is included in this year's flu vaccine. No cases of flu that contain genetic material from swine flu have been reported in Kentucky this year.

Kristy Bolen, senior epidemiologist at the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department, said both children and adults have been affected. "We do know that when kids go back to school, we tend to see more influenza," she said.

The reports of swine flu in Ohio and Indiana have prompted physicians to test for flu more than they normally would this time of year, Bolen told Kentucky Health News. "Being right on the border with Ohio, our local providers and local community members are more aware," she said. "It doesn't necessarily mean it will be a bad flu season."

The best way to protect against getting the flu is to get a vaccine, which should be done annually. The vaccine is recommended for anyone over 6 months of of age and is especially recommended for:
• Children age 6 months to 19 years
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years old or older
• People with any chronic health problems
• People who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
• Health care workers
• Caregivers of people who have high risk for complications from the flu
• Out-of-home caregivers of people who live with children less than 6 months old.

"Getting the flu can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening, so it's extremely important to take simple preventive steps to avoid i," said Dr. Steve Davis, acting commissioner for the DPH. "You should also follow the advice your mother gave you to prevent flu and other illnesses that tend to circulate at this time of year — wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and stay home when you're sick." (Read more)

For more information about the flu, click here.

Kentucky Health News is a service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

By Tara Kaprowy
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky has its first confirmed cases of flu for the year, and officials are urging residents to get their vaccinations. (WYMT-TV photo)

The Department for Public Health reports six confirmed cases in Boyd County of the H3N2 strain, which is included in this year's flu vaccine. No cases of flu that contain genetic material from swine flu have been reported in Kentucky this year.

Kristy Bolen, senior epidemiologist at the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department, said both children and adults have been affected. "We do know that when kids go back to school, we tend to see more influenza," she said.

The reports of swine flu in Ohio and Indiana have prompted physicians to test for flu more than they normally would this time of year, Bolen told Kentucky Health News. "Being right on the border with Ohio, our local providers and local community members are more aware," she said. "It doesn't necessarily mean it will be a bad flu season."

The best way to protect against getting the flu is to get a vaccine, which should be done annually. The vaccine is recommended for anyone over 6 months of of age and is especially recommended for:
• Children age 6 months to 19 years
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years old or older
• People with any chronic health problems
• People who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
• Health care workers
• Caregivers of people who have high risk for complications from the flu
• Out-of-home caregivers of people who live with children less than 6 months old.

"Getting the flu can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening, so it's extremely important to take simple preventive steps to avoid i," said Dr. Steve Davis, acting commissioner for the DPH. "You should also follow the advice your mother gave you to prevent flu and other illnesses that tend to circulate at this time of year — wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and stay home when you're sick." (Read more)

For more information about the flu, click here.

Kentucky Health News is a service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

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No way to know how serious flu season will be this year; get your vaccine, which will be available soon, officials say

There is no way of predicting how far-reaching the flu will be this season, but this year's vaccine should be available soon, officials with the Kentucky Department for Public Health said today.

"As soon as you get the immunizations you can start administering them," Sherri Coles, Kentucky Vaccine Program assistant coordinator, told a physician during today's webinar on the subject.

Last flu season was very mild, particularly compared to the one before it, when the H1N1 flu virus was first found here. About 22,400 people nationwide were confirmed to have the flu last season. There were 26 lab-confirmed pediatric deaths caused by flu, but none were in Kentucky. Flu activity was only widespread for five weeks in Kentucky last season, in March and April.

Flu shots are recommended for everyone from 6 months of age and older. Children 6 months to 8 years of age getting the vaccine for the first time should get two doses administered at least one month apart.

The flu can be treated with antiviral drugs, Coles said, which can "lesson the symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by one or two days." The drugs should be taken within two days of getting sick, though starting them later can still be helpful for people who have a pre-existing health condition or are very sick from the flu. Tamiflu and Relenza are the two kinds of antiviral drugs available. Relenza can only be taken by people who do not have breathing problems like asthma or COPD.

There is no way of predicting how far-reaching the flu will be this season, but this year's vaccine should be available soon, officials with the Kentucky Department for Public Health said today.

"As soon as you get the immunizations you can start administering them," Sherri Coles, Kentucky Vaccine Program assistant coordinator, told a physician during today's webinar on the subject.

Last flu season was very mild, particularly compared to the one before it, when the H1N1 flu virus was first found here. About 22,400 people nationwide were confirmed to have the flu last season. There were 26 lab-confirmed pediatric deaths caused by flu, but none were in Kentucky. Flu activity was only widespread for five weeks in Kentucky last season, in March and April.

Flu shots are recommended for everyone from 6 months of age and older. Children 6 months to 8 years of age getting the vaccine for the first time should get two doses administered at least one month apart.

The flu can be treated with antiviral drugs, Coles said, which can "lesson the symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by one or two days." The drugs should be taken within two days of getting sick, though starting them later can still be helpful for people who have a pre-existing health condition or are very sick from the flu. Tamiflu and Relenza are the two kinds of antiviral drugs available. Relenza can only be taken by people who do not have breathing problems like asthma or COPD.

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Whooping cough on the rise in Kentucky and nationwide

A resurgence of whooping cough in Kentucky and the nation has officials urging the public to get vaccinated. The state has already had 171 reported cases this year, making it "on track to beat our record from just two years ago," said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, state epidemiologist with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced recently there have been 18,000 cases nationwide so far in 2012, double the number of confirmed cases at the same time last year. "At that pace, the number for the entire year will be the highest since 1959, when 40,000 illnesses were reported," Mary Meehan reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Washington and Oregon have been hit hardest. In Kentucky, Madison County has 24 cases. Estill County has 20, while the Northern Kentucky Health Department, which serves Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, has reported 61 cases. In Lexington, there have been 15.

Whooping cough is spread by respiratory droplets transmitted person to person through close contact. It is sometimes characterized by a cough that ends with a high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next intake of breath. Immunization against the disease is required for school-age children, but many adults may not have gotten the vaccine or might need to get a booster shot. Officials urge them to do so. (Read more)

A resurgence of whooping cough in Kentucky and the nation has officials urging the public to get vaccinated. The state has already had 171 reported cases this year, making it "on track to beat our record from just two years ago," said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, state epidemiologist with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced recently there have been 18,000 cases nationwide so far in 2012, double the number of confirmed cases at the same time last year. "At that pace, the number for the entire year will be the highest since 1959, when 40,000 illnesses were reported," Mary Meehan reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Washington and Oregon have been hit hardest. In Kentucky, Madison County has 24 cases. Estill County has 20, while the Northern Kentucky Health Department, which serves Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, has reported 61 cases. In Lexington, there have been 15.

Whooping cough is spread by respiratory droplets transmitted person to person through close contact. It is sometimes characterized by a cough that ends with a high-pitched "whoop" sound during the next intake of breath. Immunization against the disease is required for school-age children, but many adults may not have gotten the vaccine or might need to get a booster shot. Officials urge them to do so. (Read more)

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