FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT, A SEVERE FLU SEASON IN THE US AND WHAT맥스카지노�S MAKING IT WORSE RIGHT NOW. WELL, JOINING US IS DOCTOR SCOTT HADLAND, CHIEF OF ADOLESCENT MEDICINE AT MASS GENERAL FOR CHILDREN. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. ALL RIGHT. LET맥스카지노�S START WITH THE FLU SHOT. THE STATE SAYS 38.5% OF MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS GOT IT THIS YEAR. ERIKA AND I ARE AMONG THOSE. I KNOW YOU ARE AS WELL. AND OUR KIDS ALSO GOT IT. SO WHAT PROTECTION ARE WE GETTING FROM THE STRAINS THAT ARE CIRCULATING OUT THERE? YEAH, FLU IS A TRICKY VIRUS. YOU KNOW, IT CHANGES FROM YEAR TO YEAR, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN HAVE THE SITUATION WHERE SOME YEARS YOU맥스카지노�VE GOT A FLU SHOT THAT맥스카지노�S REALLY EFFECTIVE, AND OTHER YEARS IT맥스카지노�S A LITTLE BIT LESS EFFECTIVE. WE ACTUALLY DON맥스카지노�T YET KNOW FOR THIS CURRENT FLU SEASON, WHICH IS A BAD ONE, HOW EFFECTIVE THIS VACCINE IS. BUT EXPERTS ARE SUGGESTING THAT IT맥스카지노�S PROBABLY A MODERATELY GOOD YEAR FOR THE FLU VACCINE, WHICH MEANS THAT IT맥스카지노�S GOING TO REDUCE THE RISK. SO FLU YOU KNOW, FLU VACCINES ARE NOT PERFECT. THEY DON맥스카지노�T COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE RISK OF FLU, BUT THEY REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMEONE WILL GET INFECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, THE LIKELIHOOD THEY맥스카지노�LL HAVE A SEVERE ILLNESS, THE LIKELIHOOD THEY맥스카지노�LL END UP IN THE HOSPITAL OR END UP IN AN ICU OR EVEN DIE. SO IF YOU DO GET THE FLU AND YOU ARE VACCINATED, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A MORE MILD CASE. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT맥스카지노�S THAT맥스카지노�S PROBABLY THE REAL PROTECTION THAT맥스카지노�S MOST IMPORTANT FOR VIEWERS TO KNOW ABOUT. YEAH. SO IT맥스카지노�S GOING ON IN OUR HOUSE. DOCTOR HAMLIN, MY SON HAS THE FLU. NOW SLIDE THIS WAY, DOCTOR. BUT HE GOT THE VACCINE AND IT맥스카지노�S NOT AWFUL. AND SAW THE PEDIATRICIAN TODAY. AND SHE SAID IT맥스카지노�S PROBABLY BECAUSE HE GOT THAT SHOT. SO HE맥스카지노�S DOING OKAY. WHAT REALLY IS THE RISK TO KIDS I MEAN THEY맥스카지노�RE JUST AROUND EACH OTHER TOUCHING EVERYTHING. WELL, AND KIDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET SEVERE ILLNESS JUST BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT THEY ARE YOUNGER, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE ANY PREEXISTING LUNG ILLNESS LIKE ASTHMA OR IF THEY HAVE ANY HEART DISEASE, THEY맥스카지노�RE GOING TO BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR FOR ILLNESS. AND THAT맥스카지노�S THE THING THAT WE맥스카지노�RE LOOKING OUT FOR AND WHY WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT KIDS SIX MONTHS AND OLDER GET VACCINATED AGAINST THE FLU. THERE맥스카지노�S ANOTHER THING TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR. AND THIS IS REALLY KIND OF BREAKING RIGHT NOW. WE HAVEN맥스카지노�T QUITE GOTTEN A HANDLE ON THIS, BUT THERE ARE CASES OF SOMETHING CALLED A E OR ACUTE NECROTIZING ENCEPHALOPATHY. THAT맥스카지노�S A LITTLE BIT OF A MOUTHFUL, BUT IT맥스카지노�S A CONDITION WHERE THE BRAIN IS SWELLING UP IN CHILDREN THAT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE FLU, AND WE HAVEN맥스카지노�T QUITE GOTTEN A HANDLE ON EXACTLY WHAT맥스카지노�S GOING ON. SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS. BUT IT맥스카지노�S A A RARE BUT VERY SERIOUS CONDITION THAT WE맥스카지노�RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT. SO WHAT ARE SOME SYMPTOMS THEN OF THAT. YEAH. SO SO KIDS WHO HAVE THIS WILL HAVE CHANGES IN MENTAL STATUS. THEY CAN HAVE SEIZURES. IT CAN BE REALLY DEVASTATING AND RESULTS IN COMA. ALL RIGHT. SO WE KNOW WE맥스카지노�RE HAVING A BAD FLU SEASON. AT THE SAME TIME WE맥스카지노�RE HEARING ABOUT AVIAN FLU THE BIRD FLU THAT맥스카지노�S KIND OF RUNNING RAMPANT IN BIRDS AND DAIRY COWS AND HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED TO SOME PEOPLE. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THE SICK PATIENTS WITH THE FLU HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS MIGHT HAVE BIRD FLU, OR WE DON맥스카지노�T KNOW, PROBABLY NOT ONLY BECAUSE FOR WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR, BIRD FLU HAS NOT RESULTED IN A LOT OF HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION. NOW, DON맥스카지노�T GET ME WRONG, A LOT OF US ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT BIRD FLU. EVERYTHING THAT WE맥스카지노�VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THE SEGMENT UP TILL NOW IS JUST THE REGULAR FLU THAT맥스카지노�S WITH US EVERY YEAR, RIGHT? BUT BIRD FLU HAS RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF JUST AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF NOT JUST BIRDS AND POULTRY, BUT ALSO CATS, COWS, BEARS. IT맥스카지노�S ACTUALLY JUMPED ACROSS MULTIPLE DIFFERENT SPECIES. AND THAT LEAVES PEOPLE VERY WORRIED THAT IT COULD JUMP FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN, RESULTING IN THAT HUMAN TO HUMAN TRANSMISSION THAT COULD BE REALLY DANGEROUS. THAT WOULD BE THE CAUSE OF A VERY SERIOUS OUTBREAK. AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE VERY WORRIED ABOUT THAT HAPPENING. BUT WE REALLY NEED MORE TESTING AND MORE TRACKING TO UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THIS COULD HAPPEN. AND QUICKLY. I KNOW WE맥스카지노�RE OUT OF TIME, BUT IS IT IS IT WORSE? IS THE H5N1 THE BIRD FLU WORSE THAN THE OTHER FLU THAT맥스카지노�S CIRCULATING? SOME OF THE CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED LOOK LIKE VERY SEVERE ILLNESS WHEN IT GETS INTO HUMANS. AND SO, YES, WE맥스카지노�RE WORRIED ABOUT THIS. OKAY. DOCTOR HADLEY, THANK