Flu Merging With Pneumonia and MRSA Pneumonia Present Deadly Threat

Hospitals are filled to capacity all over the country! These are just the types of conditions medical experts have been warning us about with respect to the Bird Flu outbreaks occurring all over the globe. It seems the flu pandemic, Bird or otherwise, is already here!

Illinois: "The flu season has really hit the Tri-States hard. You may remember, we told you a couple of weeks ago that 75 percent of patients who went to the walk-in clinic at Quincy Medical Group were diagnosed with the flu. I found out just how bad the flu is affecting area hospitals. We've heard reports the flu has hit some hospitals so hard that flu patients have filled up most hospital beds...35 percent of the patients admitted are in for respiratory problems."

Texas:"The hospital reached full capacity Tuesday afternoon, and for the first time in its history, some patient transfers were turned away. The hospital was not accepting adult transfer patients from regional hospitals and direct transfer patients from physicians."


Florida:"Four emergency rooms recently had to turn patients away in Marion County. Meanwhile, Osceola Regional Medical Center said its ER has seen at least 60 more people at day come through its doors in the past few days, which is too many for the hospital to handle alone."


In a too little, too late effort the CDC is recommending that all children be vaccinated against the flu in the future. Why the certain concern? No one is saying outright what's happening but our constant observation of the news is leading us to believe that it's the secondary infections related to flu that are the real concern, specifically a new and very deadly phenomenon: MRSA Pneumonia.

Recently two deaths of young men have occurred in the Pacific Northwest prompting a warning from officials which may well turn out to be the flu shot heard round the world: "MRSA pneumonia, a relatively new infection that wasn't on national health officials' radar until about five years ago, is rare, but it may also be on the increase, health officials say."

The now well known community acquired, skin contact version of MRSA is dangerous enough but a deadly, anti-biotic resistant form of bacteria being coughed from the lungs has even more potential to be pandemic. Coughing, of course, creates an aerosol of deadly little bugs that spread much wider than skin contact.

Health officials must be frightened by what they are seeing this flu season: young, healthy people unable to fight off the flu. Hopefully, the actions they are taking are not too late, but the overuse of antibiotics in the past may have already sown the seeds of a deadly phenomenon.

What can you do to protect yourself? Do everything you can to remain healthy, the basic things like good food and lots of clean water. We highly recommend that if you are sick stay home from whatever you think needs tending. Wash your hands...such a simple solution to so much suffering.

Links:

• Is MRSA really your worst enemy?
• CDC MRSA Pneumonia
• CDC Dealing With Drug Resistant Bugs
• Easy Ways to Stay Healthy
  

What's Up With Kids and Pneumonia?

When we're told not to panic or worry via a press release we start to believe there may well be something to worry about. Such is the case with the recent press release barrage indicating: It's okay to keep the kids at home with pneumonia. Update: we are also being told to stay home with MRSA.

• Home treatment for childhood pneumonia as good as hospital stay-Daily Times, Pakistan
  
• Scientists: children with pneumonia can be treated at home-Xinhua, China
• Severe Pneumonia Can Be Effectively Treated at Home-Voice of America
• Home care for pneumatic children as effective as hospital-Hindu, India

It sounds like we're trying to avoid hospital guest over-booking as was recently seen in Wichita, KS. According to a recent MSNBC article: "A respiratory virus outbreak has Wichita hospitals at capacity. It's a dangerous virus that is causing the worst outbreak Wesley Medical Center has seen in three years...Wesley [Hospital] is shuffling adult patients to other rooms to make space for all of the sick children. If more come in Wesley may have to send children miles away for treatment." Well, this has just a little tinge of scary too it; doesn't it? While the bird flu pandemic awaits in the wings, it sounds like a pandemic may have already appeared on center stage and, as usual, on the back page of your local newspaper.

We're putting the warning out here at The Apocalypse Times that this may just turn into a huge problem for families and our hospital system. You may walk in to the emergency room with a very sick child and be told, "Sorry, you'll have to take them home...we have no room! Here is a copy of a news release that assures you everything will be just great at home." This media blitz of stories is a warning and don't take it lightly. The research comes from a study in Pakistan where:

"The group examined 2,037 children between 3 to 59 months in seven areas in Pakistan. About half of them were given antibiotics and sent home while the other ones got intravenous antibiotics in the hospital. Both groups were found to show equal progress in healing off [sic] the illness."

What virus is causing the problems? According to Wichita doctors it's RSV or Human respiratory syncytial virus which typically is a respiratory virus affecting the lower respiratory tract and is not uncommon. It appears this year, however, it is particularly dangerous. For more information on RSV visit the CDC. In the meantime do your best to keep yourselves and your kids healthy for you may be playing doctor...at home! Better yet, call your doctor and see what advice he may have for you.