Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Australia Seeing Record Early Flu Numbers. |
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John L.
Expert Level Adviser Joined: September 03 2017 Location: New York/USA Status: Offline Points: 1415 |
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Posted: May 25 2019 at 4:17pm |
Crazy early Southern Hemisphere flu numbers being reported in Australia. We in the United States need to follow, we usually get it next in our Fall!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-25/why-do-i-need-another-flu-shot-this-year/11142380 Flu is surging, and it's up to GPs and microbiologists to stay on top of the virus' changing nature ABC Central West By Donal Sheil Posted Fri at 4:00pm A syringe being injected into an arm Photo: Influenza vaccines contain dead cells, which make it impossible for jabs to infect you. (Supplied: Unsplashed, Hyttalo Souza) Related Story: Here’s why getting the flu shot will never give you the flu Related Story: Australia's bad flu epidemic: Your questions answered Each year, millions of influenza vaccinations are produced and injected in Australia and then, like clockwork, another batch is brewed and the cycle repeats. Key points: Experts say identifying new mutations of flu faster on a local level is the best way to improve immunity Flu this year is surging, with people presenting with flu-like symptoms at twice the five-year average across two week in April and May Vaccine production has already surpassed 12 million units in 2019, up from 8.3 million in 2017 But why is the flu changing, and how do scientists keep up? This year is on track to see an above-average outbreak of influenza nationwide. From April 22 to May 5, people presenting with flu-like symptoms have been twice the five-year average, according to the Department of Health. Western NSW Local Health District public health manager Priscilla Stanley said a surge in sickness over the summer months has given the flu season momentum out of the gate. "This year, over the 2018-19 summer in Australia, we saw some very high numbers, unprecedented numbers of influenza," she said. Citing tyranny of distance as the main roadblock to identifying and treating flu outbreaks in regional areas, Ms Stanley said being ahead of the curb on flu season was an uphill climb. "We're never going to have a true representation of how many people in our communities have influenza," she said. Embed: Chart: Annual Australian laboratory confirmed flu numbers How the flu changes on a cellular level Influenza is a highly-contagious virus which infiltrates and infects the respiratory system. A diagram of the influenza virus Photo: Influenza mutation occurs mainly in the surface protein hemmaglutinin. (Supplied: Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) The continued mutation of one of the virus' two surface proteins, hemagglutinin, is what allows the virus to adapt to our newfound immunity each season. When developing vaccines, scientists primarily target the new features of the hemagglutinin to fight infection. When mutation occurs, it falls into either the 'drift' or 'shift' category. Drift occurs when minor mutations appear, and are the main reason why seasonal epidemics take place and require vaccines. Less frequent is shift, which often originates in animal populations like birds and pigs, and once caught by humans can create pandemic global outbreaks. The most recent shift was the 2009 outbreak of swine flu — the H1N1 strain — which killed 191 Australians and infected 37,537 more, according to the Department of Health. Virus strains even have names, like A/Michigan/45/2015 and B/Colorado/06/2017 — two of 2019's four vaccine-targeted strains. These names are informed by the city where the mutations were first found in patients. Once identified for vaccine production, virus strains are grown in laboratory eggs, killed, and split apart to remove all genetic material. The lack of living cells in vaccinations is why flu jabs can not make you sick. Staying one step ahead of mutations Although vaccine vials roll off the factory floor in the millions, their development begins in the same general practices and hospitals where they are eventually administered. Identifying new mutations of the influenza virus begins when sick citizens visit doctors and have their saliva swabbed. A scientific microscope Photo: State microbiology labs pass on their confirmed influenza cases to their national counterparts. (Supplied: Unsplashed, Michael Longmire) These swabs are then passed onto microbiology laboratories in each state and observed to confirm if new mutations are present. If confirmed cases of influenza are significantly mutated, they are referred upward to the Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee (AIVC). The AIVC then advises the World Health Organisation's regional office in Melbourne as early as September for the following year's vaccine. How important is the flu vaccine? How important is the flu vaccine? Many people are wondering if it's worth getting vaccinated against influenza and if so, when. Here's what you need to know. Once scientists confirm the four most likely mutations of the upcoming flu season, the vaccination formula is passed on freely to Australia's pharmaceutical industry to begin mass production. Vaccine production has already surpassed 12 million units in 2019, up from 8.3 million in 2017, according the Department of Health. Immunisation expert Dr Robert Booy, a member of the AIVC, said collaboration between public health and industry was a must. "This is a public health partnership. We need to work together with industry," he said. "They need to make money in order the make vaccines again next year, but they do it on a very small margin. "Vaccines get sold for influenza for a really low price." Influenza vaccinations sitting in a fridge at a pharmacy Photo: Over 12 million vaccinations have been already been produced in 2019. (ABC Central West: Donal Sheil) Dr Booy said new vaccines were not bulletproof, evidenced by the last case of influenza drift in 2017 which causing 1,255 flu-related deaths, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. "2017 was a massive year, and you could put it down to the virus first because it mutated to the point where it didn't match our vaccine very well at all," Dr Booy said. "Our vaccine worked only moderately well in younger people and in older people it hardly worked at all." Influenza vs the common cold Influenza vs the common cold Why is it that the flu can cause death but we don't generally hear of colds doing the same? Ninety-one per cent of flu-related deaths in 2017 occurred in people 65 years and older, according the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Dr Booy said if scientists can create a vaccine that attacks the stem of the flu virus that rests under the surface proteins, the effectiveness of vaccines would be significantly boosted. Identifying new mutations of flu faster on a local level is the best way to improve immunity in the immediate future, Dr Booy said. "If we got more samples going through the system, particularly from severe cases, we might be able to recognise even earlier what the prevailing and dominant strain is, and do something about it," he said. Topics: vaccines-and-immunity, health, healthcare-facilities, health-policy, health-insurance, health-administration, maternal-and-child-health, adolescent-h |
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John L.
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Dutch Josh
Adviser Group Joined: May 01 2013 Location: Arnhem-Netherla Status: Offline Points: 95677 |
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https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-surveil-ozflu-flucurr.htm
Key Messages Activity – Currently, influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) activity are high for this time of year compared to previous years. At the national level, notifications of laboratory-confirmed influenza have increased in the past fortnight and it is likely these figures will be revised upwards due to backlogs in data entry. Influenza A was the most common respiratory virus detected in patients presenting with ILI to sentinel general practices this fortnight. Severity – There is no indication of the potential severity of the 2019 season at this time. Impact – There is no indication of the potential impact on society of the 2019 season at this time. Virology – In the year to date and in the past fortnight, the majority of confirmed influenza cases reported nationally were influenza A (87%). Where subtyping data were available, influenza A(H3N2) was the dominant influenza A subtype in the past fortnight. |
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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein |
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DeepThinker
V.I.P. Member Joined: September 26 2015 Location: So. California Status: Offline Points: 3245 |
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My gut tells me we already had that strain here... We had two distinct flu outbreaks. The second one came very late and was really nasty. Then again it might be like Spanish flu where we have an outbreak in the spring and again the next fall who knows.
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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Had the 4 strain vaccine last week...
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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KiwiMum
Chief Moderator Joined: May 29 2013 Status: Online Points: 29680 |
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Here in NZ our new flu vaccine contains the following:
The funded quadrivalent influenza vaccines in 2019 offer protection against the following influenza strains:24 • A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus • A/Switzerland/8060/2017 (H3N2)-like virus • B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus • B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus |
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Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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arirish
Admin Group Joined: June 19 2013 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 39215 |
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Does anyone have any info on what strain is hitting Australia so hard? |
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Buy more ammo!
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arirish
Admin Group Joined: June 19 2013 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 39215 |
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Carbon - Is there an anti-vacs movement there? Here it's a combo of anti-vacs/flu only effects other people syndrome and I meant to get it but didn't have time!
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Buy more ammo!
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Fiji flu strain kills healthy couple in fiji. Odd story how a flu can kill two healthy people that fast. Aussie flu.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/couple-die-after-contracting-mysterious-illness-while-on-holiday/news-story/ca7c5a416c0c194f5d1ad44c115aad68 |
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https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk
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KiwiMum
Chief Moderator Joined: May 29 2013 Status: Online Points: 29680 |
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Today in the press they announced here that we are nearly out of flu vaccines and they are being restricted to vulnerable people only.
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Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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KiwiMum
Chief Moderator Joined: May 29 2013 Status: Online Points: 29680 |
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In the papers yesterday was the story of a young rugby player aged 20 who died from the flu.
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Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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Hi all, in UK at moment,
Yes there is a anti-vax moment here, but now all children have to be vaccinated else, No school, I believe that the are some exemptions for religious reasons, Which is OK, to many people on the planet anyway....lol |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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The West Australian: Killer virus stretches hospitals to breaking point.
https://thewest.com.au/news/health/killer-virus-stretches-hospitals-to-breaking-point-ng-b881224949z |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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I will say that, after having Jab,my arm still hurts 2 weeks later,
Never had that happen before..... and it ached for days after.... Not sure why? |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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Hey lllllllhhhhhhhh
I guess they don't sell ropes in the retarded country you live in Try walking out in front of a train Give us all a rest from your pathetic rants You A very SAD LITTLE PERSON |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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Yes good idea,
you seem to be on the same intellectual level as that juvenile Trump |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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EdwinSm,
Moderator Joined: April 03 2013 Status: Offline Points: 24065 |
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Link to the New Daily |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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PerthNow: WA pharmacies told to give flu vaccination to children age 10 or over.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/public-health/wa-pharmacies-told-to-give-flu-vaccination-to-children-age-10-or-over-ng-b881235349z |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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EdwinSm,
Moderator Joined: April 03 2013 Status: Offline Points: 24065 |
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From the data I found it seems that the Australian flu might have peaked in June, whereas August is normally the peak. Is that what the Australian news is picking up? (Or will flu numbers rise again in July and August?)
Click on the links in this page for pdf reports |
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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I don't think there will be more,
people seem to have gotten the message and had a flu shot, thats providing that the flu shot works!!!!!! |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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EdwinSm,
Moderator Joined: April 03 2013 Status: Offline Points: 24065 |
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The latest graphs show that you are correct, with the peak happening one month early (in July instead of August) and a rapid fall from peak. PDF file with graph |
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John L.
Expert Level Adviser Joined: September 03 2017 Location: New York/USA Status: Offline Points: 1415 |
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Here is a recent update to this thread I originally started, was surprised and gratefull for the number of responses. This article says we are in for it, and that some vaccine is delayed.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/australia-had-a-horrible-flu-season-what-that-means-for-the-u-s HEALTH NEWS Crikey! Australia Flu Season Was Bad — What Does That Mean for the U.S.? Australia has already recorded more flu cases this season than it did for the entire 2017 flu season. Getty Images Australia has gone through one of its worst flu seasons in recent years. Health officials in the United States are bracing for a tough flu season here because of what happened in the Southern Hemisphere. Officials are urging everyone to get a flu shot by the end of October to reduce the number of cases. Australia has just weathered one of its worst flu seasons on record and experts are warning this could mean a severe flu season is on the way for the United States. The 2019 flu season in Australia usually spans from June to September and peaks in August. However, it started early this year. It produced a record number of influenza cases in summer and autumn. And it’s still going. “This will be a gangbuster of a year,” Ian Barr, deputy director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza based in Australia, told Healthline. “This will be the longest season I think we’ve had probably as long as things have been recorded,” Barr noted. Australia’s last bad flu season was in 2017, which saw more than 229,000 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza reported by the end of October. This year’s flu season in Australia has already exceeded that, with 272,146 laboratory confirmed cases reported by the end of the first week of September. Barr says the actual number of people with influenza is likely much higher. “It’s a very high number approaching 300,000 — and that’s the tip of the iceberg because not everyone that has flu goes to the doctor,” he said. He argues the reported numbers of influenza may represent just 10 percent of the real number of cases. Preparations in the United States The Australia season is prompting influenza experts in the United States to prepare for the worst. “That bothers me. I’m tightening my seatbelt in anticipation that we may have something similar,” Dr. William Schaffner, an influenza expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, told Healthline. “It’s a bit ominous. I see some storm clouds on the horizon. Australia’s influenza season, which of course immediately proceeds ours, is not an exact template but can give us some ideas about what we might expect,” he said. “So I’m concerned we might, once more, have this odd double-barreled influenza season with two dominant viruses.” Earlier this month, a 4-year-old boy in California died after testing positive for influenza. “That gave everyone a chill and that’s distinctly early for us,” Schaffner said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that people should get vaccinated before the onset of influenza. They say vaccinations should take place by the end of October. For children ages 6 months to 8 yearsTrusted Source who need 2 dosesTrusted Source, the CDC advises the child should receive the first dose as soon as possible once the vaccine becomes available in order to receive the second dose (which is administered 4 weeks after the first) by the end of October. The status of the flu vaccine Supply of the flu vaccine is dependent on the private manufacturers who produce it. For the 2019-2020 flu season, manufacturers estimate there will be 162 million to 169 millionTrusted Source doses available in the United States. Last week, federal officials announced that 70 million flu shots would be delayed due to the need to recalibrate the vaccine. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order designed to improve flu vaccine manufacturing and effectiveness. Early figures suggest the vaccine used in Australia this year was effective. “If there is a ray of hope, the influenza vaccine that was used in the Southern Hemisphere was a very good match against those strains. We trust that we will also have a very good match,” Schaffner said. Every year, experts around the world attempt to predict what the next flu season will look like. It’s a task Schaffner says can be difficult to get right. “There’s always a bit of crystal ball gazing, trying to predict what’s going to happen 9 months ahead. With influenza, it has that tendency to mutate,” he said. “Sometimes you’re right on target, but sometimes you’re off target because in that 9-month interval the virus mutates and drifts from the strain that is in the vaccine,” he added. From South to North Stephen Morse, PhD, is an expert in influenza and infectious diseases at Columbia University in New York. He says taking note of the experiences of the Southern Hemisphere is helpful in preparing for the flu season in the Northern Hemisphere. “The flu season here may end up differently, but knowing what the Southern Hemisphere season was like should keep us on our toes,” Morse told Healthline. “In a study we did, Australia seemed a good predictor for the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere only about 50 percent of the time… but we should pay attention to it. It’s the only real advance notice we get,” he said. Australia may have had a rough flu season, but Morse argues with increased vigilance, good educational messaging, and decent vaccine coverage, the United States might not have the same fate as Australia. “It’s not inevitable — we just haven’t done a very good job in stopping flu epidemics,” he said. “Every seasonal influenza virus that successfully causes an epidemic has to pass from person to person in an unbroken chain, like a bucket brigade. If we could effectively break that chain, we could stop the epidemic.” “From what we know about flu transmissibility, we’d have to reduce transmission by a little over 50 percent,” he continued. “Doesn’t seem so hard, does it? But we’ve never succeeded at this. In the meantime, our vaccine coverage rates rarely exceed 50 percent at best.” The recent 2017-2018 U.S. flu seasonTrusted Source was unusually long with a high level of influenza activity compared with other seasons. During this season, vaccine effectiveness was estimated to be 38 percent, yet was thought to have prevented more than: 7 million illnesses 3.7 million doctors’ visits 109,000 hospitalizations 8,000 deaths Experts say it doesn’t matter whether the flu season will be severe or not, everyone should get vaccinated regardless. “The recommendations in the U.S. couldn’t be simpler. Everyone older than 6 months of age should be vaccinated,” Schaffner said. “There will be flu, and therefore you should get vaccinated,” he said. “Don’t depend upon the predictions to decide whether you should get vaccinated. I think that’s a real fallacy.” John L. |
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John L.
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I am getting the Quadrivalent Tomorrow at Walgreens they have the 2019-2020 now.
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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I guess Iran will have a bad Flu season this year......
Silly people........ |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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Just got my flu shot. Arm's still pretty sore...
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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I take an Advil in the morning before I get it and put an ice pack on it as soon as I get home. Sorry your arm hurts jacksdad.
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carbon20
Moderator Joined: April 08 2006 Location: West Australia Status: Offline Points: 65816 |
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I had the Quad,my arm ached for weeks,
and shoulder joint was sore for a good 6 weeks .... |
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖
Marcus Aurelius |
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Well got the quad shot at 3 pm today took two Aleve when i got home and ice packs on and off until i go to bed. Will tell you tomorrow how it feels.
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Ok so I kept an ice pack on until I went to bed and my arm is just a little sore. I mean I have to raise my arm and move it around to feel any soreness. So guys be sure to take Aleve/Advil and ice. Not a problem after that.
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