Q: I had my usual flu shot last fall and I am wondering if it will help protect me from the new swine flu. I have heard that it might help to some degree. What else should a person do to avoid getting the flu?
A: First of all, the swine flu is not exactly that. It is a mixture of viruses from pigs, humans and birds. It is flu type A, H1N1, which sounds the same as the one involved in the 1918 epidemic of Spanish flu, but it is a new variety.
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There have been previous outbreaks of swine flu, including a big scare in 1976 when people lined up to be vaccinated, but it didn’t cause any more problems than in a normal year’s flu season.
The current flu vaccination that you have been given will not protect you from this new flu. Some authorities, including some in Canada, have speculated that it might provide a slight degree of immunity because a small portion of the vaccine is the H1N1 type, but it is not quite the same.
However, if you were fortunate enough to have received a flu shot in 1976, this might still have a small residual positive effect. Likewise, if you got the swine flu in 1976, you may still have positive antibodies.
At the time of writing, this flu outbreak had not reached epidemic proportions in Canada. Likely it never will.
The World Health Organization has issued precautionary instructions to all countries because it is concerned that the virus could spread due to lack of immunity.
Researchers are developing a vaccine that should be available in four to six months. Flu viruses do not flourish as well in the summer, although the outbreak started in Mexico, which is a warm place, so maybe this one is different. If there is an epidemic, I do not expect it will peak until later in the year, so there will be time to get the new flu shot.
People are worried because they remember the SARS outbreak, but do not panic because this is a much milder illness. Many who died in Mexico appear to have also suffered from other infectious illnesses, or were either young infants or elderly. Some people have tested positive and did not know they were ill.
Frequent hand washing is the best way to avoid getting ill. However, the main responsibility for preventing the spread of the disease lies with flu sufferers themselves.
If you develop a high fever, muscle aches and pains, sore throat, headache and a runny nose, do not go to work or school.
Phone the doctor before you go to see him. He doesn’t want to catch flu either so he needs to be prepared. He will also not want you to sit with other patients in a crowded waiting room. Keeping your doctor and nurse healthy is important because they are the ones who will be needed to give vaccinations and treatments to others in the case of an epidemic.
If you do get swine flu, it can be treated with antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza, which is the better of the two because some H1N1 flu types have developed a resistance to Tamiflu.
Clare Rowson is a retired medical doctor living near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor. She can be reached at health@producer.com.
