THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510040134
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Death and taxes are not the only things you can be sure of in this life: There's also the annual appearance of the influenza virus.
And the 1995 flu season is here, according to Dr. Nancy M. Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department.
``Unfortunately you can always count on it,'' Welch said.
Even though the season technically began this month, it really doesn't begin to infect most people until cooler weather sets in.
``The virus lives best in cold weather, and during colder weather we live inside, behind closed doors,'' Welch explained. ``The virus is spread through that close contact when we're all indoors and experiencing less sun than during the spring and summer months. Basically it's a combination of how the germ lives and how we live.''
Welch's warnings of the impending flu season means it's time to get flu shots. A shot, she said, will make it less likely that a person will contract the disease or, at least, will assure that the symptoms and complications of the disease are greatly diminished.
This year, three major flu strains will be creeping their way into the region: Texas, Johannesburg and Beijing influenza. The strains are named for their areas of origin.
Influenza symptoms include fever, muscle aches and pains and a host of respiratory problems. Susceptible people have a chance of contracting pneumonia and, in some severe cases, death can occur.
Ideally, everyone should get a flu shot, Welch said, but those who really need the shots are children 6 months to 18 years old, healthy elderly people over 65, residents of nursing homes and other institutions housing patients who have long-term health problems, adults and children with long-term heart or lung problems and people of any age with long-term, chronic problems, including cystic fibrosis, diabetes, severe asthma, kidney disease, anemia or immunologic disorders such as AIDS.
``The most susceptible people to get the flu virus are children,'' Welch said. ``But because they are young they also recover quickly without too many complications. Older people, however, need the immunizations because they have a greater risk of developing complications.''
The shot is not 100 percent effective, but no immunization is, Welch said. It will prevent 70 percent of the population from getting the disease and the remaining 30 percent will have a severely lessened form of it with few complications.
To protect Chesapeake's citizens from the seasonal flu, the Health Department will set up flu immunization clinics throughout the city during the next two months. The cost of the vaccine is $10. All clinic times are from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Here is a schedule of the immunization clinics:
Oct. 10 - Deep Creek Community Center, 2901 Margaret Booker Drive.
Oct. 18 - Indian River Community Center, 2250 Old Greenbrier Road.
Oct. 25 - South Norfolk Community Center, 1217 Godwin Drive.
Nov. 2 - Great Bridge Community Center, 212 Holt Drive.
Nov. 8 - Western Branch Community Center, 4437 Portsmouth Blvd.
Nov. 9 - River Crest Community Center, 1001 Riverwalk Parkway.
In addition, vaccines can be received during regular immunization clinics at the Chesapeake Health Department at its Great Bridge office, telephone 436-8609, or the South Norfolk Health Center, telephone 543-3548, beginning Oct. 17. Appointments are required.
It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to do its job, Welch said.. Protection does not occur immediately after the shot.
``That's why we wait until about October to administer the immunizations to the public, so we can offer it when it will be the most effective,'' she said. ``Anyone who receives a vaccination and later comes down with the flu is because they were already harboring the germ in their system at the time of the shot.''
Welch explained that the vaccination introduces a dead form of the virus. No live virus is used.
``The body's immune system doesn't know the dead virus from the live one,'' she said. ``So when we introduce it into body we're telling the immune system, `This is the enemy; be on the lookout,' and it then begins to develop a natural antibody.''
Why isn't one vaccination for influenza sufficient? Why do we need a shot every year?
``The influenza virus is capable of mutating and changing from one year to the next,'' Welch explained. ``It changes its biological structure each year.''
Based on worldwide observation and tracking of the virus, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta anticipates for the coming year which specific strains will infect regions of the United States and will then issue the effective vaccines to protect the population. MEMO: More information about the vaccinations is available by calling the
Chesapeake Health Department at 436-8609.
by CNB