Flu Shots: Kudos to Sanofi Pasteur

As many of you know who regularly read this blog, my pulse rises a little bit when talking about flu shots. (image credit) I admit that I directed much of this frustration at the companies who produce the flu shots. Check out my posts - Flu Shot Rant and Flu Shot Rant: Part Deux.

Someone in my office mentioned flu shots last week. As my almost started another rant right there in the office, my staff told me that we just received our first partial shipment of flu shots from Sanofi Pasteur. Hmmmm.... That's interesting.

As I did some investigating on this, I found this news story from the AP and I also found a press release from about three weeks ago.

Swiftwater, PA. - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis SA, has started shipping the first of about 50 million doses of flu vaccine it expects to produce this season.

The first doses are being shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the Vaccines For Children program and to private doctors and other health care providers.

Sanofi Pasteur makes about half the worldwide supply of influenza vaccine and more than 40 percent of the U.S. supply, the company said in a statement.

The distribution, sent to providers in partial shipments, is scheduled to continue through the end of October. Influenza rates typically peak in February, according to CDC data.

So, I'm going to give credit where credit is due. Of course, there was very little press at the time. News is only made when the flu shots are late as they have been the past few years. However, congratulations to Sanofi Pasteur for being ahead of the curve this year.

Here are the big questions that my office is now asking: When should we announce to our patients that we have some flu shots? What date should be pick to give out the flu shots? What happens when our patients find out when we have some flu shots?

As stated by the Centers for Disease Control, an influenza season may extend as far as the late spring. So, theoretically, someone could get the flu shot too early and not be protected for a possible late influenza epidemic.

Of course, when our office begins giving the flu shot will be determined by market forces. This means that when some of the supermarkets and other retailers start giving out their shots, that's definitely when our office will be getting the phone calls.

But, getting back to my point, I'm glad that we received a partial supply in August. If your office ordered flu shots this year, have you received a partial shipment yet?

Parents blamed for pre-school stress

In many communities across the United States, the first day of school is usually the day after the Labor Day weekend. (image credit) As (some) parents rejoice and (some) kids dread the start of another school year, there is new research data being released stating that parents cause kids more stress when starting school.

Before all the parents who read my blog start to throw things at me, I'm just reporting a news story here (smile). This study is from the UK and courtesy of icWales. The study looked at kids who are starting school for the first time.

Scientists measured the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in children two weeks after they had started primary school and then again six months later. They also took cortisol measurements three to six months before the children started school to provide baseline levels for comparison.

The researchers said they were surprised to find that, far from providing a baseline, children’s cortisol levels were already high several months before the start of the school term.

High rates of the hormone can even make children more susceptible to colds and other minor illnesses.

Dr Julie Turner-Cobb, from Bath University, who led the research, said, “This suggests that stress levels in anticipation of starting school begin to rise much earlier than we expected.”

Dr Turner-Cobb said it was unclear why pre-school children would become anxious so far in advance, but suggested that parents were getting stressed about their children starting school and were passing those fears onto their children.

The article goes on to talk about how things were easier when they had an older sibling who already went through the "starting school" process. The article also talks about how the first day of school can also be tough on parents.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make some of these assumptions. But, I thought the cortisol data was interesting. Any thoughts out there on the stress level of kids and parents when it comes to the first day of school?

Dr. A with My Three Shrinks

My Three Shrinks from the Shrink Rap blog (say that fast three times) just posted their latest podcast. And, I'm happy to say that I was honored for them to ask me to be on their podcast. We have been working for weeks to try to match up our schedules and it finally happened.

From the "computer geeky" aspect, it was really cool. We used skype to conduct the interview, which I've never done before. And, just FYI, they are about 300 miles away and the connection was so clear that it sounded like they were just in the room next door.

From a professional point of view, it was quite exciting to actually talk and interact with the people that I've only had one-way electronic communication with in the past. At one point in the podcast, Roy encourages me to interject myself into the conversation because I may not get a word in during a spirited part of the conversation.

I know that I had a lot of fun being on their show, and I hope that another opportunity comes up in the future to do that again. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Here is My Three Shrinks #32.

Happy holiday weekend

For those of us in the United States, it is Labor Day weekend. The day we celebrate work - with a day off. However, call me a traditionalist, because I will be working this weekend. Yes, I'm on call until dawn on Tuesday morning...

So, as you're out and about at your picnics (image credit) and sporting events, just think of me, keeping America healthy and treating illness the best that I can. Yeesh! How cheezy is that? I'm probably jinxing myself, but usually these long weekends are really not that bad from a working standpoint. We'll see...

By the way, thanks again for everyone's support on the live podcast yesterday. I've been told that the sound level could have been a little bit better, and I'll be working on that. Otherwise, I think this is an innovative idea that I'll be exploring further. Have a great weekend!

Listen Live Today!

Doctor Anonymous Live! August 30th (today!) from 4:00-4:30pm eastern time

I've been working through the technical glitches this week. Who knew there would be so many steps where something could go wrong in connecting my computer to the main site? But, I think that I have everything worked out....

You can also participate in the show! That's one of the fun things about this. I'm going to be logged into google talk before the show. So, if you'd like to say hi and see me freaking out before the show, you can find me there. You can also send me an e-mail or leave a comment here. Finally, the fun part is that you can call into the show. Just click here for the number.

Can't listen live? Well, that's ok. One of the cool things about BlogTalkRadio is that they record their shows so that you can listen to them later. Starting at about 5pm eastern time, you can click here and listen to the recorded show.

I have to give a little shout out to A Mom Who Thinks Too Much who called me the social butterfly of the blogosphere. That's too funny. Thanks so much for the plug and for the link.

It's just a few hours away now. I hope that you'll be able to join me - either live or listening on the archives. What am I going to talk about? Who knows? You'll have to tune in to find out. I'm just a blogaholic, you know....

Update: Thanks so much to Chrysalis Angel and Cathy for the promo posts on their blogs!

Update 2: Thanks to Awesome Mom for the IM conversation and to Mother Jones RN for calling in and talking with me live on the air. That was fun!

Dr. A Live this Thursday!

Ahem... I have an announcement to make. I have decided to take a huge step out of my comfort zone of blogging and going to try the world of being a talk show host. How crazy is that?

I have to tell you, ever since I've gotten my iPhone, I've been fascinated even more with podcasts. As some of you know, I've tried doing my own podcasts but really have not had the same satisfaction that I've had with blogging. And, I think the reason is a kind of disconnect between the podcast and the listener/reader.

Then, I started listening to what I would call, "live podcasts," in which the listener can IM chat or even call in to participate with the host. That really fascinated me. So, this Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 4PM eastern time, the first episode of Doctor Anonymous Live will occur on Blog Talk Radio.

I have no idea what will happen. I hope that I'll be able to navigate through all the technology logistics of the thing. So, it may go off without a hitch, or be my biggest disaster ever. Either way, you'll have to tune in....

Lunar Eclipse

In just a few hours, the second lunar this year will occur, and will be best seen in the western portions of North and South America. (AP)

People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will have set when the partial eclipse begins at 4:51 a.m. EDT. The full eclipse will begin an hour later at 5:52 a.m. EDT.

NASA has a great webpage about tonight's total lunar eclipse. (image credit) I guess those in the Eastern part of the US (like me) will only have about 30 minutes to see it. I know I'll definitely be up by then, because, hey, I'm on call tonight. And, you know what they say about being on call with the lunar eclipse....

Update: When I first posted this (six hours ago), the moon was full and high in the southeastern sky. Over the past few hours, while I was getting some winks and answering my pager, I saw the moon slowly move to the southeastern sky and closer to the horizon.

Something unusual for northeastern Ohio is a sky without any clouds at all. It happens around here maybe 2-3 times a year at night, and tonight was one of those nights. As 5:52 am got closer and closer, I saw less and less of that full moon that was there at the beginning of the night. Then, it happened - Total lunar eclipse.

Wow! I've never seen anything like it. Better than any picture than I've ever seen. Better than any astronomy class than I've ever been to. I tried to take a picture of it, but even that could not do it justice. What a great start to the day!

Less trans fat dunkin donuts

For some reason, those words should not be used close together. However, according to the Associated Press, this company will announce today that they will be eliminating most trans fat from their menu.

Now, I totally understand why this is happening. There is a lot of business and social pressure out there to do this. A lot of their competitors out there have already done this, or will be doing this. But.....

Is there nothing else sacred than a trans fat dunkin donut? Sure, the taste will be pretty much the same. Sure, there is an obesity problem in this country and in some places around the world. But, c'mon! And, forget going to krispy creme....

Dunkin' is ahead of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., which has yet to roll out a zero gram trans fat doughnut but hopes to do so. Brian Little, a spokesman for the North Carolina-based chain, said, "We continue to work aggressively with outside supply partners, and our goal is to get to zero trans fatty acids while maintaining great Krispy Kreme taste."

Oh well. What am I going to do now? Maybe I'll try to unlock my iPhone - that sounds like fun. Sorry I was away so long away from my blog. I'll try harder to be here this week.

Busy week

Sorry I haven't been around this week. It was just a busy week at work. I'll try to catch up on blogging this weekend. Thanks to everyone who sent me an e-mail checking up on me. Other than being very tired, I'm doing ok. More soon....

Medicare threatening hospitals

Thanks to MSSP Nexus Blog for pointing out this story. In today's New York Times, there is a story describing a significant policy change directed at hospitals. Of course, this will save Medicare millions of dollars, but what are the unintended consequences of this policy?

Under the new rules, to be published next week, Medicare will not pay hospitals for the costs of treating certain “conditions that could reasonably have been prevented.” Among the conditions that will be affected are bedsores, or pressure ulcers; injuries caused by falls; and infections resulting from the prolonged use of catheters in blood vessels or the bladder.

In addition, Medicare says it will not pay for the treatment of “serious preventable events” like leaving a sponge or other object in a patient during surgery and providing a patient with incompatible blood or blood products. The new policy — one of several federal initiatives to improve care purchased by Medicare, at a cost of more than $400 billion a year — is sending ripples through the health industry.

Now, don't get me wrong. I definitely agree with the intent of this idea. There are definitely some hospital infections that could be prevented, and it's been well documented the impact of medical errors during a hospital stay. I understand why patient advocate groups are happy with this policy decision.

With regard to preventing falls, does that mean that hospitals will have to utilize bed restraints more - because in the middle of the night, sometimes patients are confused and don't know that they're trying to get out of bed. Restraints are already a no-no according to some regulatory agencies.

When it comes to preventing infection, I see more unnecessary testing being done to prove that an infection was obtained before hospitalization. What will be the cost of this? In addition, I see even more increased use of antibiotics, which will further increase the resistance of organisms - and complicating the treatment of infections in the future.

So, while the government's intent is noble, I'm afraid of what the unintended consequences will be. If the government wants people to be accountable, they should start cleaning up their own house first. Of course, we know that will never happen...