SEATTLE—
Swine flu burst onto the scene last fall in such a dramatic and deadly way - even Santa Claus was looked at as a possible carrier. It's been awhile since people were lining up for the swine flu shots and anti-bacterial gel was selling like hotcakes.Addie Bogdan was one of the thousands who started feeling sick last fall. "My hair hurt, my skin hurt, it felt like food poisoning" Bogdan explained. Bogdan thought she had food poisoning but a trip to the doctor led to a swine flu diagnosis. It was terrifying news for the soon to be mom. Bogdan was 8 months pregnant and knew this flu was especially bad for pregnant women. "I was very nervous, I was certain that something was going to go wrong" Bogdan said.
Bogdan checked her temperature every day and eventually got well. She delivered a healthy little girl in October and made sure her daughter was vaccinated. After what this family went through last year, they're not taking any chances.
For Tom Trautman, it was even worse. The Camas, Oregon resident got sick in NovemberÂ… four bouts of pneumonia later; he finally emerged from a coma. He was sick for so long, the 45-year-old will have to learn to walk again.
Public Health doctors say the number of swine flu cases has plummeted since it peaked around Halloween. Now, they're preparing for another outbreak. Dr. Jeff Duchin said "flu pandemics are recurrent phenomenon, they're like earthquakes they happen." Duchin added "what you can't do is predict when they're going to happen and where they're going to start."
They believe we might see another wave in the fall or winter during the traditional flu season. They're using this break to figure out how to get more vaccine to the people who need it. "The system is very fragile in that it gets taxed to the breaking point very quickly during large scale outbreaks" Dr. Duchin explained.
Although they're not seeing as many cases, doctors still recommend getting a swine flu shot now. You should also plan to get the regular flu shot in the fall, that dose should also include the necessary strain. Washington Secretary of Heath Mary Selecky said they look for any sign that the virus is gaining strength "we don't know what will happen next H1N1 showed up last April, we thought flu was gone."
