H1N1: The Epidemic

I went to my diabetes class the other day at Lifelong Medical, and Dr. Miller advised us that H1N1, or Swine Flu, is right around the corner in epidemic proportions. However, she also told us that we, older diabetics, are not the target audience for prevention.

The swine flu will attack pregnant women and children between 6 months and 24 years of age. And the danger of this flu is that H1N1 looks just like the other flu. The difference is:

Fever: 100 degrees (not much above our norm of 98.6)
Body Aches

So be on the lookout. The best source of information, according to Dr. Miller, is her favorite website, www.cdc.com, the Center for Disease Control website, which, in recent months, has really expanded their page on H1N1.

CDC is developing a vaccine for H1N1, but it's not yet finished. The CDC hopes to be finished with it by fall, just in time for what they think will be an epidemic.

Dr. Miller suggests that we, as diabetics, get the two shots for H1N1 (imagine: 2 shots!) as well as the 3rd shot for the normal flu. And keep washing your hands!