H1N1 Surging

Here is something alarming, state officials for Texas are closely monitoring an upward swing in swine flu cases in the Southeast United States and having people who have not been vaccinated to get immunized.

I as well as many others believe that a lot of people who have become ill have not had the H1N1 shot. "What we've seen are upticks in other parts of the country, and we're concerned because our illness has tended to follow what happens in the Southeast," Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said Thursday. "We think it could affect Texas next."

Georgia is seeing the largest influx of H1N1, or swine flu, cases since last fall, when the illness peaked. No deaths were reported, and federal authorities, who called a news conference Monday because of the Georgia situation, said they saw no evidence the virus had changed.

The Department of Health recently issued a news release (Wednesday) encouraging vaccinations. Also, officials are it is said that illnesses will probably increase and is highly unpredictable as the H1N1 epidemic has caused a lot of uncertainty. "People should be vaccinated because it's better to prevent an illness than to have it."

The H1N1 flu activity in Texas has continued; however the rate has been relatively low to moderate. “There was a wave in April 2009 when the pandemic began and another wave in the fall, one official said. Texas continues to have hospitalizations and deaths from H1N1.

“As of March 20, 230 Texans were reported to be among an estimated 12,000 Americans who have died of H1N1 since the pandemic started a year ago. Of those deaths, about 11,000 were in people younger than 65”, another official quoted.
"That's much more deaths in a particular year among younger people than what we typically see with seasonal flu," she said. "We estimate that the rate of death in young people is probably five times higher than what we would typically see with seasonal influenza."

“Travis County has had seven swine flu deaths since the outbreak, according to state data. The most recent was reported to health authorities in late January: The death was of a 63-year-old woman in November”, according to Carole Barasch, spokeswoman for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.

Texas among lowest for participation for H1N1 vaccine
http://news8austin.com/content/headlines/269947/texas-among-lowest-for-participation-for-h1n1-vaccine