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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,...

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.

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,...

  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...

Jupiter Images UnlimitedIn an effort to minimize sick time, many parents are taking children for flu shots -- twice this year, once for the seasonal flu and once for H1N1.

I have to leave work at 1 p.m. today. That's because I work downtown, and I have to drive back to my neighborhood to pick up my three children, at three different schools (elementary, middle and high) and truck them over to their pediatricians office for flu vaccination at 2 p.m. This is the seasonal flu vaccine, of which the office initially ran out, and I feel fortunate to have secured an appointment for them.

However...

I'm confused why I must take off work, and they must be taken out of school, to get a vaccination that will take less than 5 minutes to administer. Why don't doctors' offices, especially pediatricians', offer vaccination clinics in the evenings or on weekends? Retail stores offer convenient hours for flu shots, but most of those clinics are only for adults. Clinics run by the county health department offer evening and weekend hours, though spots are all taken now.

Many pediatricians and nurses who work in pediatric offices have children of their own. Unless they have special access to the vaccine stash or a spouse on kid duty during the day, I presume they, too, have to juggle their work day around getting kids out of school and taking them for flu shots. I'll bet they, too, wish a clinic was available in the evenings or on weekends.

I'm no practice manager, but there's got to be a better way. Scheduling nurses to offer the shots during non-business hours might not thrill the nurses, but it wouldn't be year-round, and it wouldn't even have to be every evening. Pick a few dates, advertise those dates to patients -- hope the vaccine arrives on schedule -- and, as Larry the Cable Guy says, git-r-done.

Help protect the kids without making (letting) them miss school, and without making parents miss work. 

Sports drinks and water, broth, humidifier are among the items you should have on hand.

Jupiter Images UnlimitedYou can save yourself some worry by assembling a "flu survival kit' now, while you're still healthy.Items you should stock now, so you’re prepared in case influenza (or even a rotten cold) brings you down: (List courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center’s Joe Bick, manager of infection prevention and control, and Dr. Sally Klemens, epidemiologist, with help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

* A working telephone.

* A cool mist humidifer (for small children).

* Suction bulb (for small children).

* Medications to lessen symptoms, including acetominophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).

* Soap for handwashing, plus alcohol hand rub.

* Tissues, paper towels.

* Surgical face mask (to limit spread to others).

* Sports drinks and water for drinking.

* Broth.

* Household disinfectant.

* A good book – or something to read, or watch, while convalescing.

Your friendly neighborhood health & fitness editor would also add some of her favorite feel-better aides -- warm, fuzzy socks; fleece jammies; cider or tea for hot beverages; lozenges to ease throat pain (but not for little kids); lip balm; hand and body lotion (since alcohol cleansers can be drying); and bubbles for a warm bath. 

What else makes you feel better when you're sick? What have we left off this list?