H1N1 Influenza A (Swine Flu) NEWS:

The President’s Council of Advisers indicate 1.8 million infected with the H1N1 Influenza A - swine flu virus will require hospitalization and will result in 30,000 to 90.000 deaths nationwide this winter. These numbers are staggering.

Yesterday I was privileged to hear Dr. David A. Lowe, MD, Infectious Disease Medicine/ Internal Medicine as he poke with a group of nurses relating an update on the H1N1 virus and explained the need for health care workers to get the vaccine as soon as it is available. He divulged staggering numbers regarding the expected spread of the virus. He stated, “thirty percent of the college population in Rhode Island have already tested positive for the virus.” For me, as a front line care provider in the emergency room setting, this information is tantamount in the need for early prevention.

The vaccine will become available shortly and will have specific targets for those receiving the vaccine first. Pregnant women will be inoculated first along with children, teens, health care workers and emergency personnel. I encourage all health care providers to get the vaccine. I feel it is our moral obligation to protect all we come in contact with by taking the preventative vaccine. This is not a virus to be reckoned with - it is a killer virus even though many who are treated promptly survive its path. The CDC has issued a statement assuring the vaccine is safe.

The intended sequence of recipients for inoculation is as follows:

Pregnant women
Children
Teens
Healthcare workers
Emergency workers
25-64 yr old with chronic health care issues/asthma/immune problems
All others 25-64 years of age
Last over 65

In many states an issue has risen regarding mandating inoculation for healthcare workers. Many feel it is against their rights and have sought legal representation to prevent this mandating process. I am confused by the hesitancy of these professionals regarding their own safety and the ultimate safety of their loved ones..

One important thing we must remember as healthcare workers - we have an obligation to assure we do not become carriers of the H1N1 Influenza A - swine flu virus. We will be exposed many times as we care for the infected in the emergency rooms and it is our responsibility to protect the public as much as we can and the first step is to take the vaccine.