Tuesday, January 29, 2013
A new norovirus strain was detected last year in Australia and has reached the United States.
- AWARENESS
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Tuesday, January 29
Although the flu is on everyone’s minds this season, the winter vomiting bug, or the norovirus, is making its rounds. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the norovirus causes about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year, mostly in young children and the elderly. Some of the virus' common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. The CDC points out that the norovirus is often referred to as the stomach flu, but it is unrelated to influenza. Many people in the Barrington area are reporting the symptoms associated with norovirus, especially families with children. Cases of norovirus tend to increase in late fall and early winter, said Leslie Piotrowski, communications …
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Does a flu shot cause the flu? Do healthy people need a shot? Here are the answers to some myths
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
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Sunday, January 20
The flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family. However, misconceptions about vaccination persist. Here are seven common myths about vaccination: Flu Myth #1 A Flu Shot Causes the Flu No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. The influenza viruses contained in a flu shot are inactivated (killed), which means they cannot cause infection. Flu vaccine manufacturers kill the viruses used in the vaccine during the process of making vaccine, and batches of flu vaccine are tested to make sure they are safe. In randomized, blinded studies, where some people get flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The 2012-2013 influenza outbreak is considered severe in Illinois.
The 2013 flu outbreak is being called one of the worst in ten years. Forty-one states, including Illinois, have reported widespread outbreaks of the virus. Despite the severity of the outbreak locally, absences due to flu-like symptoms in Barrington 220 School District last week were considered high but not necessarily any higher than normal during this time of year. “In our schools, incidents of gastroenteritis (stomach flu) seem to be more prevalent than respiratory flu. The first kind is typically fast-moving and students can often return to school after 24 hours; the second kind is more prolonged, with absences of approximately five days,” District 220 Chief Communications Officer Jeff Arnett said. The flu vaccine only protects …
Tom Livadtis
12:32 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
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