Possible way to boost swine flu survival....

Today's Post: Thursday, 10-1-2009

In many of the online health sources in the past few days was a very important story.

It seems that although swine flu started the problem, some of the people who died after getting swine flu, actually may have died from bacterial pneumonia.

There are two pieces of good news in this.

1. The most important one is that even though swine flu vaccine is not yet widely available; and, since it’s new, many people will possibly not get it, the vaccine for bacterial pneumonia is well established, has been used for years, and is quite effective.

And, since bacterial pneumonia is also the agent that actually kills many people who get the regular flu who then die as a result as well, getting the vaccine for bacterial pneumonia today or within a few days is a great idea.

That way if you get either regular or swine flu, your chances of surviving it are better.

Even better, the protection from the vaccine for bacterial pneumonia lasts at least 5 to 10 years and even longer perhaps. Unlike flu shots, you don’t need to get the vaccine for bacterial pneumonia every year.

2. Secondly, if people who get seriously sick from swine flu are checked for bacterial pneumonia while in the hospital and treated with the antibiotics for it if it shows up, that might also help.