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Some who play Jolly Old Saint Nick think they should get vaccinations first.

(AP Photo/Jim Cole)David Oelerich stands by some of the Santa suits he rents to Santa's around New England and Canada at his "Costumes of Nashua" shop in Hudson, N.H., Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. Ernest Berger, president of the nation's largest volunteer Santa group, wants Congress to declare Santas a high-priority for the vaccine for two reasons: they're exposed to hordes of children, and many of them are overweight.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine.
Many of the nation’s Santas want to be given priority for the vaccine and not just because of those runny-nosed kids. There’s also the not-so-little matter of that round belly. Research has suggested obesity could be a risk factor.
Swine flu has become such a concern that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas featured a seminar on the illness at a recent conference in Philadelphia. The group also urged its members to use hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems.
The president of the organization said he also hopes parents will keep sick kids away.

Susan E. Brown, the director of the Center for Better Bones in East Syracuse wants to explain how vitamin D can help us protect ourselves against the flu (seasonal or H1N1.) "There’s been so much information this fall about flu, particularly swine flu, that it’s hard to make sense of it all. But one piece of information that I...

Susan E. Brown, the director of the Center for Better Bones in East Syracuse wants to explain how vitamin D can help us protect ourselves against the flu (seasonal or H1N1.)

Jupiter Images UnlimitedResearch shows vitamin D can help protect us from flu infection.
"There’s been so much information this fall about flu, particularly swine flu, that it’s hard to make sense of it all. But one piece of information that I think gets missed in all the discussion is the importance of vitamin D in preventing influenza infections and boosting immunity. Research is accumulating about the relationship between flu susceptibility and vitamin D levels, and it’s showing just how important it is to keep vitamin D levels in the 50-80 ng/mL range," she says.

Congratulations to our winner, JOAN MAYWALT of Oswego! How prepared are you for a flu illness in your household? Is your medicine cabinet stocked? Do you have a working thermometer? Once you're under the weather, you're sure not going to feel like a shopping trip. The folks from CVS Pharmacy have provided us with a kit of cold and...

Jupiter Images UnlimitedYou may not have gotten your H1N1 flu shot yet, but you can prepare your medicine cabinet for the potential illness.
Congratulations to our winner, JOAN MAYWALT of Oswego!
How prepared are you for a flu illness in your household? Is your medicine cabinet stocked? Do you have a working thermometer? Once you're under the weather, you're sure not going to feel like a shopping trip.
The folks from CVS Pharmacy have provided us with a kit of cold and flu treatments that one lucky reader will receive (not that we're wishing illness on anyone; it's just good to be prepared!)

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler said what, perhaps, many were thinking earlier in the week when news reports revealed that Wall Street bankers had access to the H1N1 flu vaccine before many hospitals. Meyers is the host of Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update," and his former co-host Amy Poehler joined him Saturday, Nov. 7, for their "Really!?!" segment. Lots...

A report in US News & World Report says that flu deaths are higher among seniors with dementia. An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia,...

A report in US News & World Report says that flu deaths are higher among seniors with dementia. An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia,...

A report in US News & World Report says that flu deaths are higher among seniors with dementia. An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia,...

Jupiter Images UnlimitedStudy shows higher death rate from flu among seniors with dementia.

A report in US News & World Report says that flu deaths are higher among seniors with dementia.

An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia, says a news release about the study from Tufts University School of Medicine.

“The increased mortality of older patients with dementia hospitalized for flu may be indicative of inadequacies in health care quality and accessibility. It could be beneficial to refine guidelines for the immunization, testing, and treatment of flu in older patients with dementia when planning for the possibility of a flu pandemic,” said senior author Elena Naumova, PhD, professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts.

She says in her abstract that rural and poor counties had the highest rate of pneumonia and influenza, and the highest percentage of influenza. Patients with dementia had a lower frequency of influenza diagnosis, a shorter length of hospital stay, and 1.5 times as high a rate of death as the national average.

The Alzheimer's Association sends news, such as this, in a free newsletter that you can sign up for here.

  Ron Heagle reads about school absentee rates up to 20 percent due to H1N1 flu infections and thinks he can help. His VitalOxide “disinfects as it cleans” and “kills 99.9 percent of bacteria.” He says it will also work on the H1N1 virus. He’s got laboratory reports to prove it, and he’s awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection...

Dennis Nett/The Post-StandardRon Heagle oner of the partners that is selling and distributing the VitalOxide product.
Dennis Nett/The Post-StandardJohn Mooney and Richard Kampass two of the partners that is selling and distributing the VitalOxide product. Ron Heagle reads about school absentee rates up to 20 percent due to H1N1 flu infections and thinks he can help.
His VitalOxide “disinfects as it cleans” and “kills 99.9 percent of bacteria.” He says it will also work on the H1N1 virus. He’s got laboratory reports to prove it, and he’s awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates disinfectants.
VitalOxide already has EPA approval against a host of germs including norovirus, salmonella and e.Coli. Officials say products that are effective against influenza A should be effective against the H1N1 flu virus as well.
“Many common household disinfectants have label claims for use against influenza A viruses,” says EPA spokesman Dale Kemery. The EPA web site has a 19-page list of antimicrobials registered for use against influenza A on hard surfaces. It includes well-known products such as Lysol and Clorox, and many others. “Most of the products on this list are disinfectants, not sanitizers. There is a subtle difference, in that sanitizers are generally tested for effectiveness agaisnt bacteria but not viruses. Disinfectants, on the other hand, usually bear label claims against bacteria, viruses and fungi.” (Search for pesticides here.)
Heagle, a Syracuse native who splits his time between Hobe Sound, Fla., was in Washington last week for a workshop hosted by the EPA and the International Sanitary Supply Association, about new standards for green disinfectants.
He and two business partners he met at the Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference in September in Syracuse want to promote VitalOxide as a green product. They say it’s nontoxic and safe for use in hospitals, on food surfaces and as a hand sanitizer, and they’re making new labels to reflect that.
The trio recently opened a storefront on Teall Avenue in Syracuse. They also sell VitalOxide on line at www.vitaloxide.com. Expect to pay $7.95 for 3 ounces, $14.95 for 32 ounces or $37.95 for a gallon.

  Ron Heagle reads about school absentee rates up to 20 percent due to H1N1 flu infections and thinks he can help. His VitalOxide “disinfects as it cleans” and “kills 99.9 percent of bacteria.” He says it will also work on the H1N1 virus. He’s got laboratory reports to prove it, and he’s awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection...

  Ron Heagle reads about school absentee rates up to 20 percent due to H1N1 flu infections and thinks he can help. His VitalOxide “disinfects as it cleans” and “kills 99.9 percent of bacteria.” He says it will also work on the H1N1 virus. He’s got laboratory reports to prove it, and he’s awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection...