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Missouri schoolchildren particularly hard hit by H1N1 virus

October 22, 2009 By

As more cases of the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, are reported in Missouri, it has become apparent that young people are particularly at risk.

As of last Saturday, October 17th, 5,365 cases of flu had been recorded in Missouri. That has skyrocketed from the median number of flu cases reported in the state by the third weekend in October – 34. Kit Wagar with the State Department of Health and Senior Services says most of the current cases affect children.

“Of that (5,365) 58 percent or about 3,100 were aged 5-17,” said Wagar in an interview with the Missourinet. “So school age children are really bearing the brunt of this pandemic right now.”

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Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: ,

State health officials introduce improved plan for stroke and heart attack treatment

September 29, 2009 By

The State Department of Health and Senior Services is hosting a half dozen public meetings, throughout the state, to introduce an improved statewide system of care for victims of stroke and heart attack . It’s being billed as a cutting-edge plan for emergency treatment, with Health Department officials leading discussions of proposed rules to guide the emergency care system for patients who suffer stroke or a common form of heart attack known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI.

Doctor Samar Muzaffar, the State EMS Medical Director with the Department, says it is known that patients with the best survival rates are those who are given appropriate treatment in relatively short time. It’s called time critical diagnosis.

“The goal of the system is to identify that right patient and get them to the right place in the right amount of time so they can get the right care,” said Muzaffar in an interview with the Missourinet.

Many times a person suffering a stroke or heart attack will drive to or will be driven to a hospital for treatment, but it is important to get the patient to the right place where the best treatment can be provided.

“The key is really calling 911, and that’s what we’d like to stress with the system,” said Muzaffar.

And, once 911 is called and the patient is being treated, the best course of action can be determined.

“911 and the EMS out-of-hospital hospital folks have that knowledge in terms of, you know, what needs to be done next,” said Muzaffar. “While they’re transporting a patient they can be doing things during that time, as well, and there’s always communication happening between the out-of-hospital and the hospital folks to really pinpoint what needs to be done with that patient.”

Educating heart disease and stroke patients to know what to in the event of an emergency is crucial to dealing with Missouri’s number 1 and number 3 causes of death, respectively.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)

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Health Department: Seniors suffering falls a big problem

September 23, 2009 By

As the fall season rolls in, so does the message about falls prevention awareness from the Missouri Department of Health .

falling down.jpg One in three seniors in Missouri will suffer a serious fall in their lifetime, according to the Health Department. The number of those falls that result in death, says Director Margaret Donnelly, is a third higher than the national average.

Donnelly says the department is urging Missouri seniors to make sure they’re exercising and maintaining good strength and balance, identify hazards in their home, such as area rugs they could slip and fall on, make sure their medication is balanced so it’s not making them dizzy, and get their vision checked on a regular basis.

The department recommends older adults who live alone have a good safety plan in place with their family and friends, whether it’s calling to check in every day, frequent visits or wearing an alert device in case of an emergency. Donnelly says awareness of the risk is key to preventing them and senior citizens can get information on how to be proactive and prevent falls either through the Health Department or their community senior center. Donnelly says most think about the elderly falling a breaking a hip, but the injuries are far reaching.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

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State officials say H1N1 vaccine is coming

September 15, 2009 By

State officials want Missourians to get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus , once the state finally gets the vaccine.

H1N1, popularly known as the Swine Flu, has already hit the state. The vaccine is expected to arrive in Missouri by mid-October. State Health Director Margaret Donnelly says trials at St. Louis University have provided some good news.

"We will probably need only one shot for the vaccine to be effective, instead of the two shots which we had expected," Donnelly says. "That means that we will be able to get a larger number of people vaccinated more quickly. When the vaccine first comes in, we will be targeting certain groups, such as health care workers who have direct contact with patients."

Other vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children six-months old to 18-months who struggle with various health problems and the elderly who are likewise afflicted.

Donnelly expects the state will have 878,000 doses of vaccine by the middle of next month. Donnelly urges Missourians, especially those over 65, to get their normal flu shots now. They can receive the H1N1 vaccine when it arrives later.

 

Donnelly met with the staff of the St. Louis University Center for Vaccine Development, one of eight sites funded by the National Institutes of Health where clinical trials are under way to test the safety and effectiveness of the new vaccine. Dr. Sharon Frey, clinical director of SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development, is overseeing the tests at St. Louis University. So far, tests have proven that one shot of the vaccine can be safe and effective in fighting H1N1.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says Donnelly’s tour of the facility on Monday kicked off a statewide campaign against the Swine Flu. The Department reports the seasonal flu causes about 15,000 illnesses in Missouri in a typical year between early October and late May. But the new H1N1 virus, which emerged in the United States in April, continued to cause illness throughout the summer.

Donnelly says more vaccine will be coming to Missouri after the initial doses, enough she says for everyone who wants the vaccine to get it.

 

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House Speaker Richard dismisses Nixon criticism

August 6, 2009 By

House Speaker Ron Richard defends his action that kept an autism insurance mandate bill from coming to the House floor for debate, dismissing criticism leveled by Governor Nixon.

Governor Nixon has been harshly critical of House leadership for blocking SB 167 which easily passed the Senate.

"That bill never came up for a vote on the House floor," Nixon stated during a news conference held at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Columbia .

Nixon, a Democrat, outlined his requirements for an acceptable autism bill during his visit to the center. The governor says health insurance carriers must provide diagnosis and treatment, ABA treatment must be included, treatment caps must be excluded, and insurance companies must not be allowed to terminate a policy due to an autism diagnosis.

Nixon favored the bill approved in the Senate. He has stated repeatedly that there are no excuses for the House not to vote on the measure. He has blamed House leadership for blocking a vote.

Despite the fact that a House committee approved the Senate bill, Speaker Richard, a Republican from Joplin, told the Missourinet he didn’t believe the bill was ripe for a vote.

"If I thought it was ripe for a vote, I would have sent it to the floor," Richard said.

Richard said that though the bill passed a House committee, many House members expressed concerns about its cost. He rejected the governor’s charge that the only argument against the bill was that the insurance industry didn’t want it.

"You’re talking about the criticism of the governor?" Richard asked, "That’s OK. We just thought, and I thought, it was in the best interest (of the legislature) to have a good, solid solution and we weren’t there yet."

Richard has appointed an Interim Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders to build consensus on the issue.

"We want to make sure it works, it’s affordable and it’s transparent and it doesn’t go to the form of big government, what the president wants to do," Richard said.

Richard vowed that an autism bill will be the first bill the House takes up next year.

In a letter sent to Missouri newspapers, Richard stated he’s urging Governor Nixon to leave politics out of this sensitive issue and directly engage with House Leadership.

Nixon, responding to reporters during the Columbia visit, said he will have an opportunity to visit with Speaker Richard, stating that the two don’t always agree, but have a good personal relationship and have been able to work together.

 

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:15 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,
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