The BIRD FLU....Media Hype or Real Threat?

Let the panic begin. Today, a patient called me and was concerned about cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving this year. Why? Bird Flu. Each day, I have phone calls request prescriptions for Tamiflu -- the only known medication that may help treat or prevent this emerging killer. Last night, we gave out about sixty flu shots to a cadre of terrified kids, and we will do this every day until we run out of vaccine. This vaccine is for our annual visitor - the plain 'ol garden-variety flu. This vaccine is not for the bird flu -- that is a flu of a different feather altogether.

It has been said that people who forget history are destined to repeat it. The average person who walks down the street has absolutely no knowledge of a recent global pandemic that nearly wiped us off of the face of the Earth. We are all very lucky to be here.

FLU FACTS:

In an average year, about 90-100 MILLION people in the U.S. get influenza, or 35% of the population. This results in about 20,000 deaths -- mostly in the elderly. If you factor in the 69,300,000 lost days of work and medical costs, the flu will cost the U.S. taxpayers about $10 BILLION. And, this is an AVERAGE year. It was a bit different in 1918...

FLU PANDEMIC: WORSE THAN ANY HOLLYWOOD DISASTER MOVIE

Just 87 years ago, in 1918, the world was a bit distracted with a terrible World War. Depending on your age, this may have been your parents or grandparents time. In the morning of March 11, 1918, Private Albert Mitchell went to the infirmary at Camp Funston, Kansas with some all-to-familiar symptoms: muscle aches, low-grade fever, mild sore throat, and headaches. No big deal. By noon, Albert was joined by 107 more of his comrades-in-arms. A day and a half later, every bed, floor space, and hall was filled with 522 young, formerly-healthy soldiers fighting for their lives on an unanticipated battlefield. The 1918 Flu Pandemic had begun....

In less than THREE WEEKS, the flu had spread to every state in the U.S. And remember, this was a time without commercial air travel. In Philadelphia alone, 13,000 people died in a matter of weeks, and already, 60% of the Alaskian Eskimo poplulation had been wiped out.

Because of troop movements and some considerable public health ignorance, the flu reached Europe by early April. A week later, it was in Asia, including the heavily populated areas of China. By July, it was killing people in Africa and South America. October, 1918 alone, a mere seven MONTHS after this modern nightmare began, 195,000 Americans died -- the deadliest month in US History. By January, the flu was in every inhabited place on earth. The final count when the flu finally retreated? 39, 300, 000 dead worldwide.

AVIAN FLU IS A REAL THREAT - SCARED YET?

You should be. The Bird Flu has the potential to make this 1918 Flu Pandemic look puny by comparison. It is NOT just media hype, folks...this is a real, honest-to-God, crap-in-your-shorts, threat. Is it going to happen? I wish that I knew. All that I can say is that it happened before.....we knew it would happen again.....and we hope this isn't it.

Related Topics: Bird Flu Facts, Avian Flu, Flu Season

Why do kids put things in their ears (or other places)?

For some unknown reason, children put things in their ears or another orifice, like the nose, and yes, the rectum. Over the years, I have removed hundreds of objects -- pencil erasers, beans, corn, jelly beans, coins, toys, and an assortment of gross/unidentifiable objects.

One of the most interesting objects occured in a 3 year old. The mother stated that he put a "toy" in his nose. When I inspected his nose with an otoscope, I was startled to see two tiny FEET! Using a foreign body forcep, I grasped these little feet and out came a tiny, little plastic baby. The horrified mother said, "Oh my God....that is the baby Jesus from my minature manger!"

Not that holidays play a significant role in these insertions, I also saw a home-schooled ten year old with severe constipation a few Easters ago. The prescription of laxatives did not relieve the problem, so I had to inspect his rectum after 3-4 days without a bowel movement. A simple digital exam of his rectum revealed something very hard....and smooth. Using a protoscope (a small device with a light to examine the rectum, we often call Butt Light), I found a white, plastic object. "Did you put something in your butt?", I inquired. "No." Did someone ELSE but something in your butt?" "No". And finally in an effort to see if he would disclose, I asked, "Could you have fallen in the shower and something accidentally entered your butt?". "Yes, that may have happened."

I tried, unsuccessfully, to remove the plastic object, so I had to send him to the ER. The ER staff, always eager to have this sort of problem to add to their repetiore of butt stories, said to send him right over. They couldn't remove it even after he was sedated, so they called the for the GI surgeon. To make a longer story brief, he had to have immediate surgery and a colostomy. Several pounds of impacted stool was removed, along with a plastic Easter Egg! Sometime later, he confessed to his mother that he just wanted to see what it was like to lay an egg. Homeschool children often get bored.....apparently.

Related Topics: Swallowed Objects, Objects in ear

Rod Moser - just like a dog....

This is really my first attempt to post on my blog (I am new to this). My other attempt was lost in cyberspace, so here it goes again.

My name is Rod Moser, and I have been a PA (Physician Assistant) for over 32 years. As a matter of fact, I am one of the first 100 PAs in the country; our number now exceed 80,000. I started in the PA program in 1969, directly out of high school. After 48 months of intensive medical training, I moved to California and practiced in a variety of medical settings: internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and even academia. Since those early years, I have completed a master's degree in family health services, and a doctorate (PhD) in health education.

For the last seven years, I have run the Ear Disorders board for WebMD, and most recently the General Medicine Board. On this blog, I am "All Ears" to just about any topic. I do have the tendency to ramble on a bit, so a blog is really a perfect forum.

For the last six years, I have worked exclusively in pediatrics, and I love it. There are not too many medical providers that get as many little hugs as I do every day. And, that brings me to the title of this blog.....

Not too long ago, I was listening to a little girl's heart. She was lying quietly on the table. During the exam, she started to ever-so-gently stroke my somewhat hairy left arm. This sweet gesture continued until I took the stethoscope out of my ear. Then, with the innocence and honesty that only a child can muster, she said, "You know, you are just like a dog." Since children love dogs, and are not too crazy about medical providers, I felt that I was offer the highest of compliments.

This "dog" is currently at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual conference in Washington, DC....and I am late for a lecture on new immunizations. Gotta go....

Broken Glasses - Quite a trip...

Having just returned from the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Conference in Washington, DC, I was expecting a routine trip home. Boy, was I mistaken.

I have never gone on a trip without one or two pairs of spare eyeglasses... except this time. On the way to the airport, my glasses suddenly fell apart. Both lenses fell to the ground and the frame that held them was split in the middle and unrepairable. Crazy Glue...didn't work. So, with time at a premium to catch my plane, I shot into WalMart and bought a cheap pair of sunglasses and some scotch tape. I taped my thick, geezer lenses into the sunglasses and off I went. The world was a little darker, but at least I could see (somewhat). I made the flight to Dallas, but on my return flight to California, something was wrong.

The connecting plane was just sitting on the tarmac. Suddenly, a cadre of paramedics stormed up the steps. An hour later, a woman on a gurney emerged getting CPR. Apparently, she had a cardiac arrest while the plane was in taxi to the gate. My heart went out to the grieving family gathered at our gate. As soon as the flight attendants calmed down, the horrified passengers were unloaded and we were called to board. Many people were worried that they would get the unfortunate patient's seat! Personally, I would have loved to have that seat. What is the chance TWO people would have a cardiac arrest on the same plane...in the same seat? Astronomical.

On the way across Nevada, the plane experienced some of the worst turbulance that I could imagine. Once the plane seemed to pitch about 30 degrees. I know, since I was looking out of my window...straight down. I have been a nervous flyer since 9/11 (perhaps, a bit before). For some reason, I did not feel absolutely secure.

Well, clearly I made it....dark, nerd-taped sunglasses and all. I am back to work...seeing patients today.

Related Links: Healthiest airports, Conquer your fear of flying