Date: Mon. 19 Oct 1999 09:13:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Carol J Mulvihill <cjm6+@pitt.edu>
To: all faculty and staff distribution list
     <+dist+~bradford/public/UPB@pitt.edu>
Subject: Flu Shot Clinic on Campus

                                Flu Shot Clinic
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         / \                |_____________________|   |
                                                  |

                          TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1999
                             10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
                                COMMONS LOBBY
                                Cost: $10.00
                        Receipts will be provided.                            

                Pre-registration by Oct. 22nd is required
           so we will know how much vaccine to have on hand.

        Phone: Cindy Cavallero, Student Health Service, 362-7630
                                     or
                        E-Mail: Cindy Cavallero cmc5+@pitt.edu
                           or Carol Mulvihill cjm6+@pitt.edu

        Clinic is provided by BRMC Dept. of Occupational Health
       	      and sponsored by the UPB Student Health Service

Who should get the flu shot?  You will find the answer to this and many
other questions below.  The following information about influenza and
the vaccine is from the web pages of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
at
 
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vaccine/flu.htm
                                                                              
If you would like more detailed information, visit this CDC
website (this is the one I like) at
 
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/fluvac.htm

The CDC does recommend the flu shot for "People in schools and colleges,
to prevent outbreaks." Also, part of the recommendation states, "Students
or other persons in institutional settings (e.g., those who reside in
dormitories) should be encouraged to receive vaccine to minimize the
disruption of routine activities during epidemics."

Please share this information with the students in your classes/work
areas.

Thank you!

*****************************

1. WHY GET VACCINATED

   Influenza (sometimes called flu) is a serious disease. Here are a few important facts:

   • It spreads when influenza viruses pass from an infected person to the nose or throat of others.
   • Influenza can cause:
     • fever
     • cough
     • chills
     • sore throat
     • headache
     • muscle aches
   • Influenza can make people of any age ill. Although most people are ill for only a few days, some have a much more serious illness and may need to be hospitalized. Thousands of people die each year from influenza related illnesses. Most deaths caused by influenza are in elderly people.

2. INFLUENZA VACCINE
   • The viruses that cause influenza change often. Each year a new influenza vaccine is made using viruses that are thought to be most likely to come to the United States, or ones very similar to them. This year the trivalent influenza vaccine prepared for the 1999-00 season includes:
     • A/Beijing/262/95-like (H1N1),
     • A/Sydney/5/97-like (H3N2),
     • B/Beijing/ 184/93-like hemagglutinin antigens.

3. WHO SHOULD GET THE INFLUENZA VACCINE?
   • Group #l. People who are at risk for getting a serious case of influenza or a complication should get the vaccine. This includes:
     • All people 65 years of age or older.
     • Residents of long term care facilities housing persons of any age with chronic medical conditions.
     • Any child or adult, including pregnant women, who has a serious long-term health problem with:
       • heart disease
       • lung disease
       • anemia
       • kidney disease
       • metabolic disease, such as diabetes
       • asthma
       AND in the past year had to:
       • see a doctor regularly, or
       • be admitted to a hospital
     • People who are less able to fight infections because of:
       • a disease they were born with
       • infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS
       • treatment with drugs such as long-term steroids
       • cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
     • Children and teenagers 6 months to 18 years of age on long-term aspirin treatment, who, if they catch influenza, could develop Reye's syndrome which causes coma, liver damage, and death.
     • Women who will be more than 3 months pregnant during the influenza season. (December to April)

   • Group #2. Anyone who has close contact with people who are at risk for getting a serious case of influenza. This includes:
     • Anyone-including children-who live with people in high risk groups (Group #l above)
     • Health care workers (doctors, nurses, hospital and medical office staff)
     • Personnel of nursing homes or chronic care facilities
     • People who provide home-care to high-risk persons, such as visiting nurses and volunteers

   • Group #3. In addition, an influenza shot may be given to:
     • Persons who provide important community services
     • People in schools and colleges, to prevent outbreaks
     • People going to the tropics any time of year or to countries south of the equator between April and September
     • Anyone who wants to reduce their chance of catching influenza

4. WHEN SHOULD I GET THE INFLUENZA VACCINE?
   • People who need the vaccine should get it every year.
   • The vaccine begins to protect you after 1 to 2 weeks and protection may last up to one year.
   • Influenza is most common in the U.S. from December to April, so it is best to get the vaccine between September and mid-November.
   • People 9 years and older need one shot each influenza season.
   • Children less than 9 years old may need a second shot after one month. Influenza vaccine can be given at the same time as any other vaccines, including pneumococcal vaccine. It should be given in a different limb.

5. CAN I GET INFLUENZA EVEN THOUGH I GET THE VACCINE THIS YEAR?
   • Because the viruses change often, they may not always be covered by the vaccine. But people who do get influenza after getting the vaccine often have a milder case than those who did not get vaccinated.
   • Also, other viruses cause diseases that seem like influenza, and the influenza vaccine does not protect against these other viral infections.

6. WHAT ARE THE RISKS FROM THE VACCINE?
   • As with any medicine, there are very small risks that serious problems, even death, could occur after taking the vaccine. The risks from the vaccine are much smaller than the risks from the disease if people stopped using vaccine. Almost all people who get influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it.
   • Children less than 13 years old should be given only split virus vaccine to reduce chances of side effects. Split-virus vaccine can also be used by adults. <
   • If mild or moderate problems occur, they usually start soon after the vaccination and can last up to l-2 days. These may include:
     • soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
     • fever
     • aches
   • In 1976, swine flu vaccine was linked to a severe paralytic illness called Guillain-Barre' Syndrome (GBS), from which about half its victims fully recover. Since then, other influenza vaccines have not been clearly linked to GBS. However, in 5 of 6 years studied since 1976, there may have been a small chance that getting GBS was linked to influenza vaccine. The chance of GBS after influenza vaccine is far less than the chance of getting severe influ enza that could be prevented by the vaccine.
   • The viruses in the vaccine are killed, so you cannot get influenza from the vaccine.

7. TELL YOUR DOCTOR OR NURSE IF YOU:
   • have a serious allergy to eggs
   • ever had a serious allergic reaction or other problem after getting influenza vaccine
   • were ever paralyzed by Guillain-Barre Syndrome
   • now have a moderate or severe illness

8. WHAT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM AFTER VACCINATION? WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR?

   A severe allergic reaction could include hives, difficulty breathing, or shock.

9. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM?
   • Call a doctor or get the person to a doctor right away
   • Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
   • Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or call VAERS yourself at l-800-822-7967.

10. HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?
    • Ask your doctor or nurse. She/he can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
    • Call your local or state health department.
    • Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    • Call l-800-232-7468 (English) or l-800-232-0233 (Spanish)
    • Visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/nip

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