More Flu Vaccine on Way to State Health Departments
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: More flu vaccine is on the way to state health departments. The federal government bought an extra 250,000 doses to help ease the shortage. The first batch should be arriving in the states this week. Now, people at high risk for flu will be given priority. And some county health departments and doctors' offices are being swarmed with people who want the flu shot. The government says the number of states with widespread infections nearly doubled to 24 in the past week. At least 20 children across the country have actually died from the flu. So let's talk more about fighting the flu. Our Dr. Sandy Fryhofer is here with us with some tips on staying healthy. But, Sandy, I've really got to ask you about this 18-year-old college student in Massachusetts. You just don't think of children, much less a robust 18-year-old, of dying from the flu.</s>DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it is so sad. But flu kills. Each year, 36,000 people die from the flu. It sends an additional 114,000 to the hospital. But remember that it's not just the flu, but complications of the flu, particularly pneumonia. And that's very kill what happened to that 18-year-old. And some of the types of pneumonia you can get are resistant to a lot of the antibiotics. You know, we've talked about this concept of antibiotic resistance before.</s>LIN: Right. All right, well, you've gotten a lot of products here.</s>FRYHOFER: Right.</s>LIN: One in particular we wanted to talk about was this nasal spray. Do you get it in lieu of the shot or in addition to the shot? Does it really work?</s>FRYHOFER: Well, Carol, as we know, there's a shortage of flu vaccine and the nasal flu vaccine is an option for healthy people aged five to 49 years old. There's no needle so it's very comfortable, or at least you don't have the shot. But it's only if you're healthy. It's a live vaccine as compared to a killed vaccine that's in the shot. So that's why only healthy people can get it. If you have any immune system problems, you should not be getting the nasal flu shot. Also, if you're pregnant you're not a candidate for the nasal flu vaccine.</s>LIN: A live of...</s>FRYHOFER: But there's a...</s>LIN: A live flu, what did you call it? A live flu virus?</s>FRYHOFER: It's a live vaccine.</s>LIN: OK.</s>FRYHOFER: It's inactivated...</s>LIN: Does that mean you're going to get the flu when you get it?</s>FRYHOFER: No, it's inactivated, but the shot is actually made from killed vaccine.</s>LIN: OK. Now, what do you have here for us? I see some hand sanitizer.</s>FRYHOFER: That's the first thing. If you want to avoid the flu try to, you know, be sure to wash your hands. You can use soap and water or the alcohol rubs. That's good. Another thing, make sure you have some tissues. If you start coughing, you want to use respiratory hygiene. If you cough in the air, other people are more likely to get sick. And, of course, if you're sick, stay home. Don't go to work. If you do get sick, if you can get your family member to get you a mask from the drugstore to put on so you won't pass the flu around to the doctors' offices, a very good idea. Also, you might want to wear this around the house so you won't -- you'll be less likely to pass it to family members. If you get sick, you're talk -- call your doctor with your symptoms. Your doctor may or may not want you to come in and get an in office flu test. This takes about 10 minutes and it looks for both types of flu, Type A and Type B. And if you are sick and you don't seem to be getting better, be sure to stay in touch with your doctor because you can develop secondary complications. If you happen to have not been able to find the flu shot or get a flu shot, you can still take anti-viral medications for treatment or to prevent the flu. And if someone in your family comes down with the flu, call your doctor. That's another reason to get on the anti-viral medications.</s>LIN: All right, Sandy, thank you very much for the good advice and stay healthy. All right, if you are concerned at all about the flu, you'll want to stay with CNN throughout the weekend because Saturday's Weekend House Call topic is the flu. And medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will take your calls and e-mail questions.