Seniors 65 and Over on Tail End of H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination Priority List

Seniors 65 and over are on the tail end of the H1N1 swine flu vaccination priority list according to a vote taken today by a government appointed panel of experts.

The advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have compiled a list of groups who should be among the first to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.

Those groups include pregnant women, parents and caretakers of young children, all health care workers, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years and non-elderly adults with underlying medical conditions.

Should the new vaccine be unexpectedly restricted, the committee recommends an even smaller group to receive priority for the vaccination. This smaller group includes pregnant women, household contacts of children under the age of 6, only health care workers with direct exposure to infected patients or to the virus, children between 6 months and 4 years of age and those ages 5 to 18 with underlying factors.

After the priority groups listed, healthy people through the ages of 25 and 64 would be next in line for the vaccine.

Seniors over 65 are at the tail end of the H1N1 swine flu vaccination priority list because the committee says based on the science of the pandemic so far there have been far fewer cases of swine flu in this elderly group.

FDA Reasserts Multi-State 0157:H7 E.Coli Outbreak Linked to Nestle Toll House Refridgerated Cookie Dough

In a recent announcement, the FDA reasserts the multi-state 0157:H7 E. Coli outbreak  is linked to Nestle Toll House refridgerated cookie dough. The contaminated sample was collected at Nestle’s facility in Danville, Va. on June 25, 2009.

Meanwhile, the Center for Disease Control announced as of  Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 72 people in 30 states have been infected with a strain of E. coli 0157:H7. The ill range in age from 2 to 65 but 65% are under the age of 19. Thirty four people have been hospitalized and 10 have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Both the CDC and the FDA state further laboratory testing is underway to determine whether the E. coli strain in the Nestle refridgerated, prepackaged cookie dough products match the strain causing the outbreak.

June 19th, Nestle announced a voluntary recall of the Nestle Toll House refridgerated cookie dough stating the FDA had found evidence of E. coli in a production sample of a refridgerated chocolate chip cookie dough bar.

For more information on the original recall and E. coli information please visit http://chitchatcorner.com/risk-of-e-coli-0157-prompts-nestle-to-initiate-recall-of-prepackaged-cookie-dough/.

Public Health Emergency Declared by U.S-Swine Flu Cases Rise

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said today “We are declaring today a public health emergency”. All levels of government can now start taking preparatory steps to try to contain the swine flu outbreak. 

Swine flu cases in the U.S. have risen to 20 people. Eight of those swine flu cases involved students from the Saint Francis Preparatory School in Queens, N.Y. Seven of the cases were in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

Officials are advising to stay home if you’re sick, avoid close contact with people ,wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

The Department of Homeland Security is releasing 25% of stockpiled antivirals Tamiflu and Relenza.

Janet Napolitano said the public health emergency declaration  reagarding swine flu “sounds more severe than it really is”, However, the Center for Disease Control’s interim deputy director for science and public health program, Anne Schuchat, Md. advised: be prepared for the possibility that there may be severe cases and even fatalities in the U.S. She also said at a news conference today, “I do fear that we will have deaths here”.