"Katrina" Cough and Flu

Two items in the news this week that I thought I’d comment on. The first is about “Katrina Cough.” Soon after Katrina hit, we predicted that we might see an increase in respiratory illnesses and we have been particularly concerned about people with asthma or COPD. It seems more widespread than I thought showing how many people have allergic reactions to mold if exposed to high enough levels. My great concern in seeing this is that our prediction about the increase in asthma attacks might well be true as well, but we have not seen the data perhaps because emergency rooms are not really functioning optimally yet. Based upon this report, I believe that there is an urgent need to assess whether many people are experiencing increased asthma severity and whether they are being cared for adequately.
The second story is about Maxim Health closing its public flu clinics for lack of flu vaccine supply. This is yet another indication that CDC should rethink its entire strategy behind yearly flu recommendations and focus on the major transmitters: school-age kids as being as important as or more important to get to first than the elderly. Some high risk group members [e.g. elderly] are far from fully protected by the vaccine.
I urge you to get your flu shot as soon as possible, especially if you have asthma, lung cancer or COPD. Tell us how you found your flu vaccine this year.