Medical update

[PonyPride]

Just a couple of quick notes:

• WR Darius Johnson was at practice, but not dressed — had his left arm in a sling because of his shoulder injury.

• The flu that ripped through the team late last week continues to take its toll. CB Derrius Bell and OT J.T. Brooks were back on the field. RB Bryce Lunday was absent, as was Brooks' replacement Saturday night, Bryan Collins, who got sick during the game. QB Bo Levi Mitchell also got sick Saturday, but played through it, and said (and sounded like) he's still feeling the effects of the flu. He added that he expects to be back to 100 percent by Saturday's game at UAB.

• Head coach June Jones said after Saturday's game that C Mitch Enright sprained his knee during Saturday's win over Stephen F. Austin but battled through it. Jones said Saturday that Enright's knee would be evaluated further during the week, but Enright was on the field with his teammates Tuesday, albeit with a brace on his knee.

[SMU21TCU10]

I guess some of us were correct in assuming the BLM must have had the flu. Maybe next time if he is sick and playing horrible we can put in another qb??

[PonyPride]

One other note about the flu: Jones said RB Ryan Moczygemba "really got it bad" and added "I don't know when we'll see him back." A couple of minutes later, I saw Moczygemba jogging off the field, helmet in hand. I asked him about it and he said he was "really wiped out" Friday but is feeling much better. He said the conditioning running at the end of practice was tough, that his legs felt weak after laying low for a few days, but said he is well on the road to recovery.

[SMU21TCU10]

Is this swine flu or just normal flu? I didnt think it was flu season. But then again i have not watched the news in months and may be out of the loop.

[NickSMU17]

Lots of regular flu outbreak going around right now. I am surprised we didn't get shots for this as a team...

[SMU 86]

Is this swine flu or just normal flu? I didnt think it was flu season. But then again i have not watched the news in months and may be out of the loop.

Good question.

[SMU 86]

Lots of regular flu outbreak going around right now. I am surprised we didn't get shots for this as a team...

To my understanding the flu vaccines (I know swine flu for sure) will not be ready until mid Oct. So they could not get them.

[EastStang]

If this is the swine flu it is a nasty bug and shouldn't be taken lightly. It has the normal flu symtoms of aches and congestion, but also has the GI flu symptoms with it. So, its a double whammy.

[ponyte]

H1N1 flu has been consistent all summer long. There have been numerous outbreaks at colleges already. This is well before the normal start of the flu season. H1N1 seems to be a mild flu when it appears in young people. Those that have died usually have concurrent co morbidities (other chronic illnesses that affect the immune system). This flu is unusal int that about a third of the elderly have antibodies to this flu already so many older folks have been exposed at one time.

Current recommendations:

Interim Guidance on Recommendations for Testing, Treatment, and Prophylaxis of Patients with Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Their Close Contacts

Influenza-like-illness (ILI) is defined as an illness associated with fever (temperature of 100°F [37.8°C] or greater) and a cough and/or a sore throat in the absence of a KNOWN cause other than influenza.

High Risk Groups - is defined as the same for seasonal influenza

1. Children younger than 5 years old. The risk for severe complications from seasonal influenza is highest among children younger than 2 years old.
2. Persons with the following conditions: Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
3. Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;
4. Pregnant women;
5. Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy;
6. Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities
7. Adults >65 yrs (not necessarily so)

Clinical judgment is an important factor in treatment decisions. Persons with suspected novel H1N1 influenza who present with an uncomplicated febrile illness typically do not require treatment unless they are at higher risk for influenza complications. Many physicians throughout the state are treating everyone they see as well as prophylaxing other family members. This is going to lead to resistance very quickly and we won’t have anything to use should the disease become worse. Please try to follow the CDC guidelines (mentioned below) (Even when the mother is screaming for drugs)
At this time treatment is recommended for patients with confirmed, probable or suspected novel influenza A (H1N1) infection who are:
Hospitalized
At higher risk for influenza-related complications (see above).
Under 2 years of age

The decision to treat children between the ages of 2 and 5 years should be made on an individual basis. Clinical judgment should be used to guide treatment decisions in other patients. Treatment with oseltamivir or zanamivir should be given twice daily for 5 days.

Post-Exposure Chemoprophylaxis Recommendations for Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus
Post-exposure chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir or zanamivir may be considered for:
Close contacts of cases (confirmed, probable or suspected) of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection that are at increased risk of influenza-related complications.
The exposure must have occurred during the infectious period of the case (defined as one day before until 7 days after onset of illness). Post-exposure chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir or zanamivir should be given once daily for 10 days after the last known exposure to novel (H1N1) influenza.
Children Under 1 Year of Age
Children under one year of age are at high risk for complications from seasonal human influenza virus infection. The characteristics of human infection novel (H1N1) influenza virus are still being studied, and it is not known whether infants are at higher risk for complications associated with novel (H1N1) influenza virus infection compared to older children and adults. Oseltamivir is not licensed for use in children less than 1 year of age. However, limited safety data on oseltamivir treatment for seasonal influenza in children less than one year of age suggest that severe adverse events are rare.
Because infants experience high rates of morbidity and mortality from influenza, infants with novel (H1N1) influenza virus infections may benefit from treatment using oseltamivir.
Healthcare providers should be aware of the lack of data on safety and dosing when considering oseltamivir use in a seriously ill young infant with confirmed novel (H1N1) influenza virus infection or who has been exposed to a confirmed novel (H1N1) influenza case, and carefully monitor infants for adverse events when oseltamivir is used. Additional information on oseltamivir for this age group can be found at: Swine Flu: Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Medical Products and Devices.
Pregnant Women
Pregnant women are known to be at higher risk for complications from infection with seasonal influenza viruses, and severe disease among pregnant women was reported during past pandemics. Cases of confirmed novel (H1N1) influenza virus infection in pregnant women resulting in severe disease have been reported, and a pregnant woman died in 1988 after being infected with another type of swine influenza virus. Oseltamivir and zanamivir are "Pregnancy Category C" medications, indicating that no clinical studies have been conducted to assess the safety of these medications for pregnant women. Although a few adverse effects have been reported in pregnant women who took these medications, no relation between the use of these medications and those adverse events has been established. Pregnancy should not be considered a contraindication to oseltamivir or zanamivir use. Because of its systemic activity, oseltamivir is preferred for treatment of pregnant women. The drug of choice for chemoprophylaxis is less clear. Zanamivir may be preferable because of its limited systemic absorption; however, respiratory complications that may be associated with zanamivir because of its inhaled route of administration need to be considered, especially in women at risk for respiratory problems.

Influenza Testing: If the patient has influenza like symptoms, it is H1N1 until proven otherwise. Decisions have to be made on treatment long before test results are available. Currently, we are only recommending testing on: pregnant women, hospitalized patients, and health care workers.

[EastStang]

I like the part about mother's screaming for drugs!!!

[Vitale]

Thanks for the update, Pride.