myself and my family. Last year, it was the stomach flu taking down each member of our family one by one. This year might be different, though, as a new study shows that people over 60 are more likely to be immune to the H1N1 virus. According to the AARP, the elderly are still atop the list for general flu vaccines, but they do not have priority for Swine Flu Vaccines due to recent results from CDC testing. The results show that one third of blood samples from people over 60 contained antibodies to Swine Flu. Also, a recent article published in Nature reported that those who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic posessed even higher levels of antibodies. These findings parallel the fact that most fatal cases of H1N1 occurred in children and young adults. Therefore, pregnant women, small children, and emergency workers get top priority.
John Murphy, M.D., chairman of the American Geriatrics Society, seems to know how this is going to pan out,
"I think the fall is going to be very confusing for people, and we’re going to need a lot of education about this."
Dr. Murphy knows what is going to happen. He is just trying to break it to us gently. He knows that old people's sense of entitlement (e.g. "I'm 84, I deserve handicapped parking!" - Nana) is going to lead to an H1N1 vaccine disaster. They won't understand why they aren't getting passes to the front of one line, but not the other. These people aren't used to having immunity to ANY illness, let alone a potential pandemic. I expect to hear a lot of whining about this come winter.
Note to the Elderly: Don't worry, the CDC just wants to focus on keeping our youth alive, since they still have the potential to contribute something to society.....Zing!
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