Dr. Lana answers your H1N1 questions

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - We are now in flu season and many of us still have a lot of questions about H1N1 and the H1N1 vaccine.

Victoria Hong recently sat down with Dr. Steven Lana, a practicing partner with Delaware Pediatrics and the newly appointed Medical director of the Buffalo Public Schools.

All this week on News 4 and WIVB.com, he will be answering questions and clearing up any myths.

Today we start with the dangers H1N1.

 

QUESTION: Is H1N1 more severe than the seasonal flu?

Death rate for seasonal and H1N1 is the same: .1%

More people susceptible to H1N1 means higher death toll.

It does not cause more severe disease than seasonal influenza. It has the same mortality rate overall of .1%. The problem is if we anticipate 3 to 10 times more people susceptible to be coming infected with H1N1 than with seasonl influenza, the math is pretty self evident. That instead of usual 30,000 deaths per year in the U.S. from seasonal influenza, potentially could be 90,000 to 300,000. So percentage is the same, just a bigger denominator.

 

QUESTION: Who is susceptible to H1N1?

Anybody who was not exposed to H1N1 in first go around starting in April 2008 and on, susceptible to getting it this time around, except those 65 years and older.

 

QUESTION: What are the symptoms of H1N1?

It's primarily a respiratory infection which means they have a fever of 100 or higher and any combination of headaches, body aches, sore throat, cough, sniffling, sneezing, stuffy nose. Some with H1N1 have had vomiting and diarhea up to 20% in addition to repiratory symptoms.

 

QUESTION: How dangerous is the seasonal flu and H1N1?

Almost everybody who gets exposed to it gets infected with it, but a lot of people have mild symptoms.

99.9% of people who get infected with influenza get better.

 

QUESTION: Why are more people getting H1N1?

Because it's a new virus nobody has any prior immunity to it. With seasonal influenza a larger population with pre-existing protection or immunity.

 

QUESTION: Will H1N1 become a year round influenza?

Probably not, as much because with more time, more people will get exposed and then your at-risk population starts to shrink.