1 Of 6 Americans Have Had Swine Flu

New numbers out today from the CDC indicate that 50 million Americans, or about 1 in 6, have already had H1N1. There have been about 10,000 deaths.

The new estimates suggest that the flu, also known as H1N1, has spread through 15% of the U.S. population since it was first identified in April. As of Nov. 17, 200,000 people have been hospitalized, says Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's about the same number of people hospitalized during the entire flu season, which usually lasts until May. At least 7,500 adults 18 to 64 and 1,000 children younger than 18 have died of the disease, Frieden said. In a typical flu season, roughly 80 children die. "Many times more children and younger adults, unfortunately, have been hospitalized or killed by H1N1 influenza than occurs during a usual flu season," Frieden says. The analysis marks the government's latest assessment of the H1N1 epidemic. The virus has upended expectations of flu by targeting the young rather than the old. In a typical year, 95% of deaths are in people 65 and older; so far, 95% of deaths have been in people younger than 65.

Have you been vaccinated yet? I finally got mine a couple of weeks ago.

Wingnuts Want Obama Kids Vaccinated For Swine Flu On Live Television

To prove that the shot isn't deadly. Or something.

Quote Of The Day - Louis Farrakhan

"The Earth can't take 6.5 billion people. We just can't feed that many. So what are you going to do? Kill as many as you can. We have to develop a science that kills them and makes it look as though they died from some disease." - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, saying that the swine flu vaccine was designed to kill people.

Poll: One-Third Of Parents Oppose Swine Flu Vaccine For Their Kids

A new poll by the Associated Press reveals that over one-third of the nation's parents don't want their kids immunized against the swine flu, despite reassurances from the government that the vaccine is safe.

Some parents say they are concerned about side effects from the new vaccine — even though nothing serious has turned up in tests so far — while others say swine flu doesn't amount to any greater health threat than seasonal flu. Jackie Shea of Newtown, Conn., the mother of a 5-year-old boy named Emmett, says the vaccine is too new and too untested. "I will not be first in line in October to get him vaccinated," she said in an interview last month. "We're talking about putting an unknown into him. I can't do that." The AP poll found that 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school. The belief that the new vaccine could be risky is one federal health officials have been fighting from the start, and they plan an unprecedented system of monitoring for side effects. They note that swine flu vaccine is made the same way as seasonal flu vaccines that have been used for years. And no scary side effects have turned up in tests on volunteers, including children. On Wednesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appealed for widespread inoculation against swine flu, vouching unconditionally for the vaccine: "We know it's safe and secure."

Some parents cite the unproven theory that other vaccines have caused autism as reason not to trust the swine flu shots.

The Swine Flu Snap

NPR shares some really silly ways to say hello without shaking hands, in order to protect against swine flu. A foot smack?

Pozzers Told To Get Swine Flu Vaccine

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is advising that HIV-positive folks get the swine flu vaccine when it becomes widely available later this fall.

San Francisco health officials stress there is no evidence to suggest that people living with HIV are any more susceptible to the swine flu than they would be for the seasonal flu. "They should think of it as the same as the seasonal flu. Whatever their reaction would be for the seasonal flu should be their reaction for H1N1," said Dr. Susan Fernyak, the health department's director of communicable disease control and prevention. "If they don't care about the seasonal flu, they shouldn't be up in arms about swine flu." Health officials have long advised HIV-positive people to get vaccinated for the seasonal flu each year, and that is still the case this year. Each year 6,000 Californians die due to influenza. "It is still a serious disease in California and people should get immunized for seasonal flu," said Amy Pine, director of the health department's communicable disease prevention unit. "Everyone should get [vaccinated], including people with weakened immune systems."

Poz internet forums lit up with worried postings last week at the news that an HIV-positive Castro bar owner had died of the swine flu, but SF city officials stress that that the average pozzer doing well on his meds is not at greater risk.

Swine Flu Rap

New York-based Dr. John Clark is a finalist in the "US Department of Health & Human Services 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest." I guess "face" rhymes with "safe", sort of.

Train Surfing

I was cracking up yesterday watching the contortions New Yorkers were going through trying not to put their hands on anything on the 6 train. One woman wrapped her leg around the center pole, another used her scarf to hang on to the hand rail. Others tried the surfboard method, riding with legs wide apart, hands flailing for balance. If you're that worried about the swine flu, maybe you should just get a box of latex gloves for your commute, yes? (But I did keep my hands off the escalator rail when I got to Grand Central.)

Possible 90,000 U.S Swine Flu Deaths Forecast For Coming Season

A new report forecasts that up to 90,000 Americans could die of H1N1 virus during the coming flu season. But keep in mind that 36,000 die of the regular flu every year.