What To Expect During 2015 Flu Season In San Diego

We are back and this is midday edition and I am Steve Walsh. San Diego's flu season does not peak until next year but we are already seeing the first cases. The last vaccine was only considered 19% effective. To get an update on Fisher's flu season we have Dr. [Indiscernible] who San Diego's public health Officer. Dr. We already saw the first cases coming up this month. Are we going to have a long flu season works It is always difficult when any flu season will look like. The activity is low right now. We certainly expect the activity to increase over the and of that share the beginning of next year. When does the get bad in San Diego? In recent years the flu season.'s -- peaks and late January or early February. In 2000 it pizza late December early January. Just the right variation of how flu seasons progress. Why do we have a flu season in San Diego? The weather does change in San Diego, and flu season occurs throughout the country. People are flying to be with their family during the holidays. The viruses come from the East Coast to the West Coast and vice versa. It is easy to disperse it throughout the US. If you do not want to spend a lot of time with your family over the holidays you can use the flu as an excuse. Last year the vaccine was only 19% effective, what happened? Due to studies the CDC conducted it was actually 10% effective. Studies to show that even with the 10% effectiveness the vaccine is beneficial to administer. The CDC will continue to conduct those types of studies throughout this flu season to determine the actual effectiveness of the vaccine. Why is it only 10% effective? They get it wrong? To get the wrong makes the flu out there? It is not that they got it wrong, it's that the viruses change. Even with small changes they are still the same family. If the virus changes drastically, then the vaccine that has been identified are prepared will not be effective for the circulating virus. Is it too late to get a flu shot now? Absolutely not. Our mantra is it's never too late to vaccinate. We still recommend that individuals six months of age and older to obtain a flu vaccination. It is not kick in immediately? It takes two weeks for the vaccine to become effective, and that is why we have recommended individuals to get it in October and early November. Can you get the flu from the flu vaccine? That is a myth. You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine. The shots are a dead virus. You cannot get the vaccine -- the flu from the vaccine. Some people start to fill sick a few days after the get the shot it might just be that they were going to get the flu? The effectiveness takes two weeks. Even though you got your shot on day one, it takes 14 days for the vaccine to become effective. If you are exposed to a flu virus during that period you certainly can become infected. It is important for listeners to remember also that even the flu vaccine is not 100% effective. It is possible you can still get the flu. There are other viruses that are also circulating. Do we have a good sense of what vaccines or what clues are out there right now circulating amongst us? Yes we do. The CDC has identified the specific strain that is in the vaccine. There are two influenza a vaccines, one is similar to the H1 and one virus that was circulating in 2009, and there is a Switzerland influenza A, and there is also influenza B vaccines that were included in the vaccine preparation. Should I ask for the differently vaccines myself? Do I need to go down the list myself and decide which ones are most important? No. All vaccines are either what we call trivalent, or Quadra valent which are for components to influenza A, and in -- influenza B. There are many vaccines that are out there. Individuals that problems with being allergic, they need to talk to their doctor to find out what is the best vaccine available for them. I'm not scheduled to go to the doctor in the next month or so can I get the somewhere where will not cost me a lot of money? For individuals that do not have insurance they can go to public health centers. For those individuals that do have insurance, call your doctor, and find out what is the best time to come in. [Indiscernible] clinics will work with people who have a low income. There are a lot of different places you can go to get the flu vaccine. I wanted to touch on the whole notion some of these vaccines have not been particularly effective over the last couple of years. How soon do we know whether or not we have it right? CDC starts to look at specimens that have been submitted by local health departments. That is how they determine if the vaccine or the virus that's in the vaccine is well matched to what is circulating. The monitor throughout the flu season, and that is how they determine if the current vaccine is effective. What happens if we get info that it is not effective as we would like, do they go back in again and change the makes throughout the flu season X --? The pleasing would be -- the flu season would be over at the time they did that. Researchers are using the information for our flu season in North America to determine what vaccines should be included for the southern hemisphere. We see this as being very local, this is really just a global effort to stop me from getting sick. Absolutely. The vaccination is the verse defense. Washing our hands is important. Viruses are throughout the environment. Wash your hands before you eat or drink. Make sure you use the daycare roles here. If you get the flu is there anything you can do besides resting? There are antiviral medications that are available. You do have to take this within the first 48 hours of developing symptoms. It decreases third duration of symptoms. It also lessens, -- complications of individuals that are at risk. If you feel you are getting the flu do something about it immediately. For a healthy individual or adult and older children to get the flu their symptoms are going to resolve in 10 to 14 day.. If individuals have underlying problems like asthma, lung conditions, diabetes, or heart disease, they should contact their doctor. Is there any reason not to get a flu shot ask All individuals six months of age and older are recommended to get or obtain a flu vaccination. It is pretty simple. You do not need to put a lot of thought into this. It is not going to make you sick. You can also get them done at pharmacies. The greatest complication from getting the flu shot is soreness at the injection site. Those individuals that want to get the nasal spray, individuals can get that from ages two 2 to 49. This has been Dr. Wilma [Indiscernible]. Thank you for being on here. It was my pleasure being on here. We are going to take a quick break and then we will talk to journalists Robin Wright. You are listing to midday edition, and I am Steve Walsh. Robin Wright has reported from 140 countries. She has appeared on all major networks. She has written extensively, Tuesday she will lecture at the jumpy [Indiscernible] center. The challenges of getting to the truth. How does an American reporter know how to find the truth and regions that seem so baffling to the West. There are always the challenges of the physical dangers on the ground. And knowing enough to understand what is happening politically. It is easy to track the gunfire in which direction it is going. The greater challenge is knowing enough about the environment to try to understand what the solutions are. How do you and wars, and create alternatives? Syria is arguably one of the worst that I have covered. This one has so many different layers of conflict. Whether it is the repercussions of what was initially a civil war, and now with Isis adding a third dimension. Of course the proxy wars not just rival Middle East country supporting different fractions different elements to the conflict. Also the international component whether it is Russia or the United States facing off in the skies over Syria. And understanding the big questions like, is this a moment where the United States given its experience in Iraq and nearby Afghanistan should be using its military might, and its political muscle. To hold together countries that were cleat -- created by colonial a century ago. It is so easy as a war correspondent to do the killing part. The Harper is understanding the geo [Indiscernible] implications. Journalism as you know has a reputation for both. Starting wars -- Jason [Indiscernible] who is a Washington correspondents now who is prison in Iran. There are all kinds of journalists. The good ones are the ones who understand the bigger picture. Obviously when you look at American intelligence they are having a very difficult -- at one point the president called Isis the JV team. Who do even know who to talk to ask how can you confirm what everyone is saying? The real trick is getting out and talking not just to the warlords or the presidents of countries it is also talking to a lot of people on the streets. A sense of public opinion. And beginning to see who they support and what they want to see happen. One of the limitations for the United States is we have not been in Syria and a long time. With an embassy or a robust intelligent operation. We do not understand the scope of Isis in terms of its appeal, inside Syria or inside the Middle East, and much less to thousands across Europe. That has made it very hard to understand its durability, and again how you deal with it. We all know there are no military solutions. The debate in the United States and in Europe seems to be largely about military attack six. -- Tactics. Some of the big picture issues are the only things that are going to solve this crisis.