Dr. Kno Blog

Part 2 on H1N1, Pregnant Mothers and the Vaccine

As with any flu season, children and pregnant mothers are first in line to receive the newly designed previously named ‘swine’ flu vaccine. Against the virus no really knows the true effectiveness of the vaccine against the virus. A larger concern is the vaccines impact on the mothers, whom have weaker immune systems due to pregnancy, and their un-born child or children. Because of the newness of the H1N1 virus there was a weighing of options in terms of governmental preparedness and risk to individuals receiving the vaccine.

"The panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the new vaccine be provided first to pregnant women and adults with compromised immune systems, who face a greater risk of complications, and others, like children and health-care workers, who are at higher risk of becoming infected," says Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Roughly, 159 million people fall into the groups of individuals considered to be high-priority. There is no reason to think that the H1N1 vaccine will pose any problems for pregnant women since it's being produced in exactly the same fashion as the seasonal flu vaccine.

But skeptics fear long term effects that cannot be anticipated due to the speed at which the vaccine is being produced without extensive study. “Pregnant women who get vaccinated will probably also confer antibody protection to their newborns who are too young to be vaccinated themselves,” Steinhoff added in a press conference earlier this month. This could prove lifesaving if H1N1 infections become extremely widespread or the virus mutates into a deadlier strain. Steps you can take in the event you or your family do not receive H1N1 vaccinations are:

1. Avoid potentially ill persons – Watch for symptoms
   • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
   • Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
   • Sudden dizziness
   • Confusion
   • Severe or persistent vomiting
   • Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
3. Wash your hands regularly with antibacterial soap and/or use sanitizers.
4. When in public, avoid close contact with individuals. In highly compact areas or areas were illness maybe common (hospitals, open air markets, dense city areas, etc.) use of disposable gloves and/or mask are recommended.

H1N1, H1N5 influenzas and Pregnant Mother Vaccines (part 1)

Although we have essentially, overcome the panic mentality associated with any new virus or disease; there is cause for concern with the resurgence of H1N1 that is expected for fall. In most flu season or in the yearly pattern, there are major outbreaks, a few thousand people catch the season’s bug and then the hoopla is over. However, H1N1 hit early in the year with catastrophic outcomes with an estimated cost of multi-millions due to transportation cancelations, produce and livestock restrictions, and the hundreds of thousands that died. The worse, many fear, is yet to come.

In recent years, there has be concern of whether vaccinations really work and whether or not they cause more harm than good. In most scientific circles, vaccinations are vital to prevention of evolved strands of bacterium and viruses; the risk are very low for adverse effects. Often in the 1:1,000,000,000 range when it comes to the flu vaccine, or individuals allergic to poultry that don’t know it till it is too late. The concern of many mothers now is that the vaccines that all American children are required to have to attend school may be causing them to have weaker immune systems, or even die! Remember, the chances are 1 in a Billion. This isn’t to play down the fear of death, just to point out the time old fact that anyone can die any day, there is a 1:1 chance everyone will die someday.

The scientific fear this season, has true merit however. Because the H1N1 influenza strain is so new and mutatable, it has the probability of mutating into a H1N5 monster. As deadly as AIDS and as contagious as the average flu. The ‘H1’ stands for the type of hemagglutinin (type 1) tag found on the influenza structure. The ‘N1’ or ‘N5’ stands for the neuraminidase (type 1 for H1N1 and type 5 for H1N5) enzymes that allow the viruses to attach to given types of biological structures. So, what does that all mean? Both of these viruses are the same virus but they just have different antigenic determinants in the case of the neuraminidase; stronger attacking agents with better attachment ability. More on this, tomorrow.

GPS Satellites decaying Orbits and the GAO Recommendations

"If the Air Force does not meet its schedule goals for development of GPS IIIA satellites, there will be an increased likelihood that in 2010, as old satellites begin to fail, the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits." - US GAO Report

Now some experts would say that it is simply stating that by 2010, everyone we loan time or functionality to will still be able to purchase said operational satellite functionality. Remember, there is more going on with the satellites than just helping the average Joe or Jane get to the local farmers market. The US GPS IIIA satellite constellation assist troops in Iraq and Afghanistan determine targets, position equipment and navigate unmanned vehicles. However, there are even more operations than just military movements contingent upon the GPS operation.

"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," the GAO report said.

This is another reference that shows that there is possible interruption, but not as widespread as was suspected, at least according to Colonel Dave Buckman, a spokesman for Air Force Space Command, which is based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, took to micro-blogging service Twitter to pacify.

"We have 30+ satellites on orbit now. We'll launch another in Aug 09, and again early 10. Going below 24 won't happen," he said.

In realistic terms it was an attempt to say, ‘put away your maps, GPS is here to stay.’ Nevertheless, being prepared never hurt. For one, no, the decaying orbit of a few small satellites is not going to crash the global network or rain debris down on the world. It calls to mind however, that we as a global community have become exceedingly dependent on technology and science we, as individuals, have little to no control over. For peace of mind, it is wise to prepare for the worse and hope for the best.

In the case of global positioning, preparing is easy. Educate yourself, your family and friends on the use of longitude and latitude coordinates, how to determine and the differences between true and magnetic north or using older technology (from sun dials to paperclip-in-cup of water technology). Experimenting with technologies or methods from the past have led to the advances of today and tomorrow. It would be prudent of us all to understand these simple ideas, just in case.

To read the full GAO report follow this link: http://www.gao.gov/

Want to know where you are on Google Maps? Use this to get your Longitude and Latitude:

• Find where you are (or want to be) on Google Maps.
• Cut this code: javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));
• Paste the code into the location bar of your browser and press enter.