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Deadly Flu Outbreak
Aired November 27, 2003 - 15:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: This month, we reported federal health authorities feared an early flu outbreak and a severe flu season. And now it seems those fears were well founded. Thousands of cases are reported in Colorado, Texas and Nevada. And in Colorado, children are dying of the flu.
Details from our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This has been a particularly bad flu season and a particularly early one. For example, take the state of Colorado. Usually there in the course of an entire season four children die of the flu. Already, four children have died of the flu in Colorado, unfortunately, and it's only November.
Now, why is the flu season so bad this year? Well, part of it is cyclical. Flu seasons comes and go. You get some seasons that aren't so bad and then you get some seasons that are bad.
Another reason is that there's a strain of the flu this year that's out there, among other strains, that was not included in the vaccine. So this one strain is not in the vaccine. It's a particularly virulent strain, and so it's not offering -- the flu vaccine is not offering complete protection against this one strain.
Another problem, and this happens many years, is that people don't always listen to the CDC when CDC officials say get your flu shot. Some of these numbers are quite startling.
For example, all people over the age of 50 are supposed to get flu shots. But when you look at the 50 to 64-year-old bracket, only one third of them actually do get the shot. Also, healthcare workers are supposed to get flu shots, and less than a third of them do actually get the shot.
This one is a particularly bad statistic. Children with asthma are supposed to get flu shots, because if they get the flu, it can be particularly devastating. But only 10 percent of them do.
Now, why don't people tend to listen to public health officials when they say get your flu shot? Well, there are several misconceptions about the flu vaccine. So we're going to try to clear those up.
First of all, some people think that the flu vaccine will give them the flu. That is actually not the case. The virus in there is a dead virus. The flu shot will not give you the flu.
Also, some people think, well, the flu shot's not for me. It's for my grandmother or it's for someone with a terrible immune disorder. That's not true. Nearly everyone can benefit from a flu vaccine. There are a few people who are not supposed to get it for a very specific reason, but on the whole, most people will benefit from a vaccine.
It takes about 10 days for the vaccine to become effective once you get it. Public health officials say get it now. Don't wait.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Aired November 27, 2003 - 15:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: This month, we reported federal health authorities feared an early flu outbreak and a severe flu season. And now it seems those fears were well founded. Thousands of cases are reported in Colorado, Texas and Nevada. And in Colorado, children are dying of the flu.
Details from our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This has been a particularly bad flu season and a particularly early one. For example, take the state of Colorado. Usually there in the course of an entire season four children die of the flu. Already, four children have died of the flu in Colorado, unfortunately, and it's only November.
Now, why is the flu season so bad this year? Well, part of it is cyclical. Flu seasons comes and go. You get some seasons that aren't so bad and then you get some seasons that are bad.
Another reason is that there's a strain of the flu this year that's out there, among other strains, that was not included in the vaccine. So this one strain is not in the vaccine. It's a particularly virulent strain, and so it's not offering -- the flu vaccine is not offering complete protection against this one strain.
Another problem, and this happens many years, is that people don't always listen to the CDC when CDC officials say get your flu shot. Some of these numbers are quite startling.
For example, all people over the age of 50 are supposed to get flu shots. But when you look at the 50 to 64-year-old bracket, only one third of them actually do get the shot. Also, healthcare workers are supposed to get flu shots, and less than a third of them do actually get the shot.
This one is a particularly bad statistic. Children with asthma are supposed to get flu shots, because if they get the flu, it can be particularly devastating. But only 10 percent of them do.
Now, why don't people tend to listen to public health officials when they say get your flu shot? Well, there are several misconceptions about the flu vaccine. So we're going to try to clear those up.
First of all, some people think that the flu vaccine will give them the flu. That is actually not the case. The virus in there is a dead virus. The flu shot will not give you the flu.
Also, some people think, well, the flu shot's not for me. It's for my grandmother or it's for someone with a terrible immune disorder. That's not true. Nearly everyone can benefit from a flu vaccine. There are a few people who are not supposed to get it for a very specific reason, but on the whole, most people will benefit from a vaccine.
It takes about 10 days for the vaccine to become effective once you get it. Public health officials say get it now. Don't wait.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
