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FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT, A SEVERE FLU SEASON IN THE US AND WHAT’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. LET’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 YOU’VE GOT A FLU SHOT THAT’S REALLY EFFECTIVE, AND OTHER YEARS IT’S A LITTLE BIT LESS EFFECTIVE. WE ACTUALLY DON’T YET KNOW FOR THIS CURRENT FLU SEASON, WHICH IS A BAD ONE, HOW EFFECTIVE THIS VACCINE IS. BUT EXPERTS ARE SUGGESTING THAT IT’S PROBABLY A MODERATELY GOOD YEAR FOR THE FLU VACCINE, WHICH MEANS THAT IT’S GOING TO REDUCE THE RISK. SO FLU YOU KNOW, FLU VACCINES ARE NOT PERFECT. THEY DON’T COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE RISK OF FLU, BUT THEY REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMEONE WILL GET INFECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, THE LIKELIHOOD THEY’LL HAVE A SEVERE ILLNESS, THE LIKELIHOOD THEY’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 THAT’S THAT’S PROBABLY THE REAL PROTECTION THAT’S MOST IMPORTANT FOR VIEWERS TO KNOW ABOUT. YEAH. SO IT’S GOING ON IN OUR HOUSE. DOCTOR HAMLIN, MY SON HAS THE FLU. NOW SLIDE THIS WAY, DOCTOR. BUT HE GOT THE VACCINE AND IT’S NOT AWFUL. AND SAW THE PEDIATRICIAN TODAY. AND SHE SAID IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE HE GOT THAT SHOT. SO HE’S DOING OKAY. WHAT REALLY IS THE RISK TO KIDS I MEAN THEY’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, THEY’RE GOING TO BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR FOR ILLNESS. AND THAT’S THE THING THAT WE’RE LOOKING OUT FOR AND WHY WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT KIDS SIX MONTHS AND OLDER GET VACCINATED AGAINST THE FLU. THERE’S ANOTHER THING TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR. AND THIS IS REALLY KIND OF BREAKING RIGHT NOW. WE HAVEN’T QUITE GOTTEN A HANDLE ON THIS, BUT THERE ARE CASES OF SOMETHING CALLED A E OR ACUTE NECROTIZING ENCEPHALOPATHY. THAT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A MOUTHFUL, BUT IT’S A CONDITION WHERE THE BRAIN IS SWELLING UP IN CHILDREN THAT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE FLU, AND WE HAVEN’T QUITE GOTTEN A HANDLE ON EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING ON. SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS. BUT IT’S A A RARE BUT VERY SERIOUS CONDITION THAT WE’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 WE’RE HAVING A BAD FLU SEASON. AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE HEARING ABOUT AVIAN FLU THE BIRD FLU THAT’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 DON’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, DON’T GET ME WRONG, A LOT OF US ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT BIRD FLU. EVERYTHING THAT WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THE SEGMENT UP TILL NOW IS JUST THE REGULAR FLU THAT’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. IT’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 WE’RE OUT OF TIME, BUT IS IT IS IT WORSE? IS THE H5N1 THE BIRD FLU WORSE THAN THE OTHER FLU THAT’S CIRCULATING? SOME OF THE CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED LOOK LIKE VERY SEVERE ILLNESS WHEN IT GETS INTO HUMANS. AND SO, YES, WE’RE WORRIED ABOUT THIS. OKAY. DOCTOR HADLEY, THANK