Johnnie Judson, an employee health nurse at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, spoke about H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, and other health issues at Wednesday”s Columbus Kiwanis Club meeting.
There is a difference between the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu, Judson said, noting symptoms of seasonal flu include fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat and chest congestion and some nausea.
“The symptoms for H1N1 are similar to seasonal flu,” he said.
The H1N1 flu has garnered so much media attention because there is no primary immunity against it, Judson said.
“It is a fairly new strain. It was first detected in people in this country in April,” he said.
Had this type of flu been identified earlier, a vaccine could have been incorporated with the seasonal flu vaccine. And while H1N1 flu cases in Mississippi are decreasing, Judson said people still need to be vigilant about it and seasonal flu.
“People need to be just as vigilant about seasonal flu as they are H1N1 flu. According to the Center for Disease Control, at least 36,000 people in this country die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 are hospitalized from flu-related causes,” he said.
Judson said he believes the vaccines for both seasonal flu and H1N1 flu are safe.
During a question-and-answer session, Judson was asked about students from Caledonia High School who had reactions to H1N1 vaccinations, resulting in trips to the hospital.
“I do not know the answer to that,” he said in response to a question about why so many students at the school were treated for reactions to the vaccine. Other area schools reported no incidents when state health department partners administered vaccines to students.
Nine Caledonia students were transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle last Wednesday, with symptoms ranging from hives, fever, shortness of breath and other reactions after being administered the swine flu vaccine at school. One of the students had a seizure, Lowndes County School District Superintendent Mike Halford confirmed.
All nine students had returned to school by Monday.
Judson encouraged Kiwanis members to check out the Center for Disease Control Web site as well as the Mississippi State Department of Health to find out additional information about H1N1 flu.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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