THE ANNOUNCEMENT -- COULD DEPEND ON HOW REPUBLICANS
DO AT THE POLLS.
A TRUMP SPOKESMAN DECLINED TO
COMMENT ON THE MATTER.
WE
COMMENT ON THE MATTER. WE'RE COVERING YOUR HEALTH --
FLU SEASON IS WELL UNDERWAY--
AND EXPERTS FEAR IT COULD BE A
DEADLY SEASON.
DEADLY SEASON. JUST DAYS AGO--
D-HEC REPORTED THE FIRST CHILD
DEATH FROM THE FLU IN SOUTH
CAROLINA THIS YEAR.
THIS WEEK--
THIS WEEK-- WE SPOOK WITH A DOCTOR ABOUT HOW
YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF--
AND YOUR FAMILY.
For more of this flu season, we
now want to bring in Dr. Max a
doctor, thank you so much for
joining us here. The state has
now recorded its first pediatric
flu death of this season. As far
as this concern for parents
moving forward, what
as this concern for parents moving forward, what's your
biggest advice to parents now
that we are into flu season?
Unknown 0:30
Unknown 0:30 Thank you so much for that. So,
a couple of pieces of advice.
Number one, get everyone you
know in love vaccinated against
flu and against COVID. Everyone
who
flu and against COVID. Everyone who's six months of age and
older, is eligible and we
recommend both of those vaccines
for everyone six months of age
and older. Also, we recommend
really staying staying on time
with your routine vaccination
schedule, and then staying away
from others and keeping your
children away from others who
are sick, so no need to have
sick folks around our newborns
or young children. That is
really you know, not
recommended. Obviously, I know
childcare can get tight
sometimes, but in general, no
need to take, you know, the
newborns out to the grocery or
the, you know, to crowded places
and that sort of thing if we can
avoid it. And we
and that sort of thing if we can avoid it. And we're coming out
of the time where the flu really
hasn
of the time where the flu really hasn't been talked about that
much over the past two years. So
did it go away? And is it back
stronger now? Or has it always
been there? And now we just need
to be prepared for possibly a
worse season than we
to be prepared for possibly a worse season than we've had over
the past two years.
Unknown 1:41
Unknown 1:41 Yeah, so this is a complicated
question. We really didn
Yeah, so this is a complicated question. We really didn't see
very many viral illnesses other
than COVID for the last couple
of years. I think there
than COVID for the last couple of years. I think there's some
good reasons for that, mainly
because we were practicing
social distancing and isolation
which helps prevent COVID and
all of these other respiratory
viral illnesses. So the same way
that COVID spreads these other
viruses tend to spread as well.
We
viruses tend to spread as well. We're seeing quite a number of
been circulating right now. The
other thing I would say is that
we saw influenza early this
year, so it sort of relaxed and
all of our social distancing
practices and that kind of
thing. We also have been a bit
relaxed in our vaccine
practices, unfortunately. And so
when flu hit us a bit early, we
were not prepared for a couple
of reasons. One is because
hurricane en disrupted vaccine
distribution from the state
health department to many of our
pediatric practices and other
vaccines sites, and so our
influenza vaccines were a bit
delayed because of that. And
then I think there
delayed because of that. And then I think there's just a bit
of vaccine apathy or or
hesitancy however you want to
say and so many of us were
prepared, but it did hit a bit
early this year. And it
prepared, but it did hit a bit early this year. And it's hard
to say whether this is going to
be just an early season and
we
be just an early season and we'll end earlier than usual or
tracted season or more severe
season. We don
tracted season or more severe season. We don't know but we
haven
season. We don't know but we haven't seen these numbers in
terms of flu cases that require
pediatric hospitalization. And
several years. You mentioned
talking about the hesitancy with
the vaccines. We
talking about the hesitancy with the vaccines. We've heard a lot
of talk about medicine. We
the vaccines. We've heard a lot of talk about medicine. We've
heard a lot of talk about these
vaccines. So what is your
message any individual out
there? Maybe listen to this and
say, you know, we
there? Maybe listen to this and say, you know, we've been
hearing about these a lot the
past two years. I just don
hearing about these a lot the past two years. I just don't
know at this time. I really
don
know at this time. I really don't know if I trusted in this
moment.
moment.
moment. Unknown 3:34
Unknown 3:34 Yeah, totally a fair question.
And you know, it
Yeah, totally a fair question. And you know, it's a parent
Yeah, totally a fair question. And you know, it's a parent's
job to be their child
And you know, it's a parent's job to be their child's advocate
and to really think extra hard
about anything they put into
their child
about anything they put into their child's body, whether that
be food or vaccines. So I
totally understand, you know,
parents really think about this
quite a bit. I would say you
know, if there are concerns,
certainly talk to your
pediatrician and really walk
through some of those concerns.
Different people have different
concerns. And so I would really,
you know, just put on the table
what those specific concerns are
for your child and try to try to
resolve those you know, the goal
of vaccination, specifically for
flu and for COVID But for many
of the others as well is to
prevent hospitalization and
death related to those
illnesses. So, you know, when
people say, oh, you know, my
friend got vaccinated and still
got whatever disease, but they
didn
got whatever disease, but they didn't end up in the hospital or
die and so and they, they were
there for a successful from the
vaccine standpoint. Oh, by the
way, they also is sort of a side
perk. They also the vaccines
reduce the risk of acquisition
of those illnesses and they also
reduce the risk of spread, but
their main job in life is to
reduce hospitalization. And
death. And they do that very
well specifically for children.
Dr. Elizabeth MagForce, thank
you so much. Again, we
Dr. Elizabeth MagForce, thank you so much. Again, we're just
at the beginning of this flu
season, so hopefully, it
at the beginning of this flu season, so hopefully, it's not
as bad as what many are
expecting. So Dr. bad as what
many hopefully, it
expecting. So Dr. bad as what many hopefully, it's not as flu
season, so the beginning of this
Again, we
season, so the beginning of this Again, we're just at thank you
so much. Elizabeth MagForce,
children. Dr. specifically for
that very well death. And they
do hospitalization. And is to
reduce their main job in life
risk of spread, but they also
reduce the risk of spread, but
their main job in life is to
reduce hospitalization. And
death. And they do that very
well specifically for children.
Dr. Elizabeth MagForce, thank
you so much. Again, we
Dr. Elizabeth MagForce, thank you so much. Again, we're just
at the beginning of this flu
season, so hopefully, it
at the beginning of this flu season, so hopefully, it's not
as bad as what many are
expecting. So Dr. Matt, thank
you Thank you.
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