Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)
(03/01/02) P. 6; Galarza, Milton Carrero
Southern California has seen a major decline in the number
of influenza cases.According to
experts, the drop can be attributed to a variety of factors, ranging from an
improvement in the way vaccines are manufactured, to better access to flu shots,
to a decrease in the number of people traveling.Dr.David Dassey, deputy
chief of the acute communicable disease control unit at the Los Angeles County
health department, said that only 18 cases of flu have been reported since the
flu season started in November, compared to 170 cases during the same period last
year.Statistics compiled by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the overall number of
flu cases in the United States has been low as well, with only 13 states so far
reporting widespread influenza outbreaks.Dassey says that many of the influenza strains currently circulating are
identical to the one present during recent seasons.For that reason, many peoples immune systems may have already
developed defenses against those particular strains of the virus.The same strains were also incorporated into
the current vaccine, therefore optimizing the level of immunization.
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"