Swine Flu Twitter Chat With Dr. Mary Currier, State Epidemiologist

WAPT.com

Here is the complete twitter chat with Dr. Marrie Currier from November, 13 2009:

Alright folks! If you've got #swineflu questions, tweet away as Dr. Mary Currier is here to answer them!

SWINE FLU QUESTION: I am a breast cancer patient I want to know is it safe for me to take the shot

Dr. Mary Currier: Yes and it's probably important. She may be high risk for complications for the flu. She should probably get the injection, not the nasal spray because the spray is a live virus.

SWINE FLU QUESTION: Do you have any idea when supplies might be sufficient-enough for people in other high-risk groups to receive this vaccine in MISSISSIPPI?

Currier: Great question, I wish I had a great answer. We hope that soon we’ll have enough vaccine to open up the vaccine to everybody in the priority groups.

SWINE FLU QUESTION: Why is a person under 65 with asthma/lung problems anymore at risk than a person over 65 with the same asthma/lung problems?

SWINE FLU Q's:Why is a person under 65 with asthma/lung problems anymore at risk than a person over 65 with the same asthma/lung problems?

Currier: People over 65 seem to have some type of immunity to this virus. So that’s why they are not in a priority group. We’ve had very few people over 65 who’ve gotten sick with swine flu. But we do hope to be able to offer the vaccine to these people. We just want to get the higher priority groups vaccinated first.

RT @rishaholmes: @16WAPTNews My son got the vaccine at school last week.A day later he had headache/sore throat/fever. Was it b/c of vaccine?

Currier: It might have been. Some people will have a mild fever and a headache following the vaccine for a short period of time. If he continued to have a fever for several days and felt horrible, it might have meant he was already getting the flu.

RT @spiderbbq: @16WAPTNews I have a 9 year old with asthma and an egg allergy. Is there any other options for a vaccine.

CURRIER: Both the injectable vaccine and the nasal mist are produced in eggs. So if a person has a severe egg allergy they should not take the vaccine. However, in general, if a person can eat cake made with eggs, they could take the vaccine. You should talk to your child’s physician.

Swine Flu Question: How can you assume that all persons over 65 have more resistance to H1N1/#swineflu?

Currier: We don’t assume it. We’ve looked at that data across the country and those folks over 65 are at less risk than younger folks for getting the illness. However, as they are still high risk for complications, as soon as we get priority groups vaccinated, we’ll be stressing that people over 65 get vaccinated. And my mother will in line to get the #swineflu shot.

Swine Flu Question: Is the swine flu vaccine free?

Currier: Private providers may charge an administration fee (charge for giving it to you) But the vaccine itself is free. You can get it completely free at the health department. Remember, we’re vaccinating pregnant women, children 6 months through 4 years and people caring for children less than 6 months old.

Swine Flu question: My mother is a 62 year old diabetic with high blood pressure. Is she considered high risk?

Currier: Anybody age 25 through 64 with a chronic illness like diabetes is considered in a priority group for vaccination. Hopefully soon, we’ll have enough vaccine to offer to everybody in a priority group.

Swine Flu Question: Someone told me that if the swine flu came earlier, the vaccine would be offered in the seasonal shot. Is this true?

Currier: Yes. If this virus had been identified earlier, it would have been in the seasonal flu vaccine. The swine flu vaccine is made the exact same way as the seasonal flu vaccine by four of the same manufacturers.

SWINE FLU QUESTION: And what are the symptoms from getting the swine flu shot?

CURRIER: Many people will have sore arm. Some people will have a headache and a few people may have mild fever.

SWINE FLU QUESTION: I’m worried about getting the vaccine. Seems like it was made it too quick.

Currier: The manufacturers did push to get it produced. But they didn’t cut corners and they had to meet the same FDA standards as the seasonal flu. It’s made the same way as the seasonal flu. Nothing added. No adjuvant. And it’s been through clinical trials.

SWINE FLU Question :What kind of test do doctors have to determine if a patient has #swineflu and how long does it take to get results?

Currier: There are two kinds of tests. There’s a quick test for influenza that can be done in your doctor’s office. But it’s not particularly accurate. There’s a test that takes maybe a week that the health dept does that can tell you if it’s truly #swineflu. Influenza diagnoses is largely clinical judgment on the part of the physician. And most testing is unnecessary for patient treatment decisions. The health dept testing is for surveillance purposes, not for decisions about treatment.

RT @Bakey_Jo: @16WAPTNews Swine flu Q: I’m a college student.. Am I a priority?

Currier; Yes you’re in a priority group for vaccine if you’re between the ages of 6 months and 24 years. We hope we’ll have vaccine for your group soon.

That does it for our live Swine flu twitter chat with Dr. Mary Currier, state epidemiologist You can still send your questions about the swine flu to us via our email. News@wapt.com. Our feedback 16 line at 601-355-1616 or Twitter. Our username is 16WAPTNews.

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