de-germing electronics

[OakLeaf]

I've heard it mentioned a couple of times that vaccination with the regular flu shot increases your susceptibility to the swine flu - and I don't understand that statement... how does it do that?

Some preliminary studies have seen a strong correlation (like, double the expected infection rate). They don't know at this point if it's actually causation, or even whether the numbers will hold up - that's why I said "there's a chance that it might." But why take the risk? It's enough for the public health authorities in three Canadian provinces to put their seasonal flu vaccinations on hold until there's adequate H1N1 vaccine.

[shootingstar]

hmm, last time I had a flu shot was um...maybe 15 yrs. ago. or even further back. Have problems remembering. In past 10 years, the employers whom I worked for, except last one (too cheap they were), they offered flu shots to employees. I never had a shot.

In past 5 years, about every 1-2 yrs., I get a cold where usually I cough alot for a few wks., runny nose and not-high fever for 1-2 days. What has helped most for myself, is simply to rest alot for 1-3 days in bed, etc.

Right now I'm not and haven't been in regular daily and sustained near- contact with many different people outside of home, except breezing by a store (often during non-peak hrs.) to do light shopping or attending 1-3 meetings on weekly basis.

I have gone through 3-5 consecutive years after my early 20's until recently, where I had no cold/fever at all.

Maybe am rolling the dice of luck too much here? The sickest I ever was when I was a child with red measles and later, chicken pox.

[Cataboo]

Some preliminary studies have seen a strong correlation (like, double the expected infection rate). They don't know at this point if it's actually causation, or even whether the numbers will hold up - that's why I said "there's a chance that it might." But why take the risk? It's enough for the public health authorities in three Canadian provinces to put their seasonal flu vaccinations on hold until there's adequate H1N1 vaccine.

Thanks. It's of course, up to you to decide what's best for your body, and I'm mostly just posting the latter because I'm curious about the studies and how the groups were made:


The only article I found that had more details said:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/...-seasonal.html

And to me key was:
Four Canadian studies involved about 2,000 people, health officials told CBC News. Researchers found people who had received the seasonal flu vaccine in the past were more likely to get sick with the H1N1 virus.


I'm assuming that people that regularly get the seasonal flu vaccine generally have a reason for doing so - they're immunosuppressed, they're in public jobs where they deal with large numbers of people daily, or they catch the flu a lot. But I can't find anything addressing how they compared the groups and how they're made up - so whether by comparing people that have had the flu vaccine in the past, they're selecting for a group that is more likely to get exposed to the swine flu to begin with.

The other possible explanation that I can come up with for those results is that generally the flu vaccine does not give you long term lasting immunity against the flu - so if you're getting it regularly, you haven't been exposed to the flu in a long time. And that people who regularly have had the flu over the years actually have long term immunity naturally, and some of this immunity is slightly protective against swine flu.

But either way, by past, I think they mean last year and not that taking this year's flu vaccine will pre-dispose you to the swine flu this year.

[staceysue]

Good ideas generally. But I don't know why you'd have to disinfect your screen. Unless you're visiting those scratch-and-sniff websites.

Why is this making me laugh so hard?

[PscyclePath]

one-quarter to one-third cup of Clorox, Purex, or a cheap, generic bleach in a gallon jug, then fill the rest of the jug with tap water. Use that on a clean wipe to get rid of whatever might be infecting you ;-)

[Eden]

You are not being unreasonable - a survey at the hospital that I work at by the infection control folks found the dirtiest things on the wards were the phones, people's cell phones and other personal electronics, and the computer keyboards. Keyboards now have had covers that can be cleaned and phones, PDA's ect., I think are supposed to be cleaned with something called Lemo-O-Quat. I wasn't able to find it under that brand name, except for industrial purposes, but its a ammonia related cleaner with the same active ingredient as Lysol, but none of the nasty odor....

[colby]

We've used the clorox style wipes on pretty much everything at work. Door handles, keyboards, mice, phones, refrigerator, you name it. I wouldn't use it on my monitor screen, but any normal surface absolutely.

[ny biker]

I brought a container of them to the Livestrong Challenge this year so I could clean all the surfaces in my hotel room. Last year the hotel was gross -- sticky refrigerator door handle, smudgy fingerprints on the nightstands -- so this year I came prepared and cleaned everything as soon as I checked in. Including the TV remote, phones and lamp switches.

[deeaimond]

just went to the doc on Monday and talked to him about the H1N1 and flu vaccines, coz i'll be coming to the US for a month, and so i figured i should protect myself against H1N1 or any other flu strain. Not used to the weather, it might make things worse. Out here in Singapore, its rather warm year round, so I think we have a shorter and less deadly flu season.

My doc was explaining to me, that the seasonal flu shots are basically comprised of about 3 different strains of flu. These strains change very often. Almost every year. Thats why people who actually need to take flu shots, need to take them every time the strains change. In fact, he was telling me how, the shots at his clinic are the new batch, came out in September and meant to go through 2010, but he has already received information that the new flu shot will be out in April with 3 new strains...

As for the H1N1 vaccine, we'll need to wait and see when it gets in. And if i'll be in time to take it.

I was kinda freaked though. I wondered if it would do anything to me...