FIRST FLU SHOTS OF THE 2007/08 SEASON AT MD NOW URGENT CARE

August 27, 2007 (West Palm Beach, FL) - Flu season is right around the corner, and pharmaceutical companies have already begun to release influenza vaccines to select providers. As one of the leaders in the administration of both Flu shots and flu treatments in Palm Beach County, MD Now Urgent Care Centers is among the first in the area to receive flu shots for the 2007/2008 Flu Season.

Influenza outbreaks and epidemics pose ongoing risks to global human public health. Recently, human infections with A/H5N1 avian influenza viruses have heightened the potential for the emergence of an influenza A virus with pandemic potential and have increased public awareness regarding the changing nature and severity of existing human strains.

Known as influenza, the "flu" is an extremely contagious respiratory infection. Flu symptoms are more severe than those of colds, come on more abruptly, and often include high fever, cough, and full body aches. It can cause severe complications, such as pneumonia and even death - particularly in the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

Due to the severity of the disease and its threat to public health, the US Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta now recommends that all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others should be vaccinated.

Get vaccinated early. An influenza outbreak can occur at any time, but flu viruses generally begin to circulate among the population as early as October and continue as late as May. (Last flu season MD Now Urgent Care Centers saw our first confirmed flu patient in early October). But you mustn't wait until flu season begins to get your flu shot! It takes at least two weeks for the antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection to begin to develop in the body. That's why it's better to get vaccinated long before the flu season gets under way.

But there's another good reason not to delay in getting your flu shot. Each year, pharmaceutical companies manufacture their vaccines based on the best estimate of demand for their product. Given the meager number of influenza vaccine manufacturing plants that we have in the United States, and the large number of doses required, only a limited amount is produced. Vaccines take 6 to 9 months to develop, so once the stock has been exhausted, it cannot be replaced. In 2004 and again in 2005, a shortage of flu shots raised fears of a potential public health disaster.

How the vaccine works. Even if you've had the flu, it's possible to get it more than once. That's because these highly infectious influenza organisms replicate so quickly, they mutate easily from year to year. So the natural immunity you may have built up toward one virus strain won't provide any protection to a new strain that may be circulating. Even after you get vaccinated, your immunity to the disease declines over time and may be too low to provide protection after one year. That's why last year's vaccine is no good against the newer mutations.

Based on international surveillance and scientists' estimations about which manner of viruses will circulate in a given year, each new season's vaccine is manufactured accordingly. Your yearly inoculation actually protects you against three influenza viruses, each representing one of the three types that experts predict will be circulating among people during flu season: one A (H3N2) virus, one A (H1N1) virus, and one B virus, each one representing one of the recommended vaccine strains. For example, the 2007--2008 trivalent vaccine strains are A/Solomon Islands/3/2006 (H1N1)-like (new for this season), A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like, and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like viruses.

Advances in treatment. A Rapid Flu Test now exists for definitive diagnosis of influenza. The test, which is recommended by The World Health Organization (WHO), is offered at MD Now Urgent Care Centers. It is administered by a simple nasopharyngeal swab, and is capable of screening for influenza A and B type viral infections. These types of infections were barely treatable in the past since viruses do not respond to antibiotics. But in recent years, pharmaceutical companies have released several prescription medications - known as antiviral drugs - that are effective and can significantly reduce the duration of suffering, such as Tamiflu® and Relenza®. Starting treatment with these medications within 48 hours after flu symptoms appear will reduce the length of the illness and the severity of symptoms by at least 1 day.

But time is of the essence! Early treatment leads to faster results and will enable you to resume daily activities in a shorter amount of time, so don't delay in getting medical attention if you think you've caught the bug. At MD Now Urgent Care Centers, most patients are seen, treated and released within one hour and no appointment is necessary. We are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and offer flu shots, influenza testing and all contemporary treatments of influenza, as well as rapid strep testing and a wide variety of medical diagnostic and treatment modalities. However, we concur with the CDC, who recommends:

"The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year."

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LINKS TO PREVIOUS PRESS RELEASES:

1/7/2007 - Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Do You Need a Home Defibrillator?

9/9/2006 - Superbugs of the New Millennium: Community Associated Staph Infections a Growing Concern

8/27/2006 - Avian Influenza: The Next Pandemic?

6/1/2006 - SEA LICE: Florida's Summertime Stingers

12/07/2005 - MD Now Medical Centers, Inc. Awarded $167,250 Grant for Job Development, Diagnostic Equipment

Company Information:  MD Now Medical Centers, Inc. 

Lake Worth Location
4570 Lantana Road 
Lake Worth, FL 33463 
Main: 561-963-9881 

Royal Palm Beach Location
11551 Southern Blvd
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
Main: 561:798-9411

Company Website: www.MyMDNow.com 
Email: info@mymdnow.com

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