At Last Night's CGNA Meeting, L.I.C.H. Immunized Carroll Gardeners With Free Flu And H1N1 Vaccines

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Dr. Tucker Woods,
Head of Long Island College Hospital's Emergency Department

Dr. Pat Meade, R.N.
Head Of L.I.C.H. Nursing Department

At last night's Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association's meeting, Carroll Gardeners had a chance to get either a free seasonal flu shot or the H1N1 vaccine, compliments of Long Island College Hospital.

Dr. Tucker Woods, Head of L.I.C.H.s Emergency Department, and Dr. Pat Meade, RN, Head of Nursing, had come to the meeting to immunize and to give an update on the H1N1 virus and on the hospital's plan to deal with any outbreak.

Dr. Tucker explained that, here in New York City, a first outbreak of H1N1 started back in April 2009 and was wide-spread in the city by early May. Though the virus causes only mild symptoms in most, for a small portion of the population, it can cause moderate to serious disease. Contrary to the seasonal flu, H1N1 affects young people and children. The majority of patients are between 5 and 24 years old.

So far, in New York City, 74 people have died as a result of the H1N1 virus. The virus is wide-spread in 11 states, New York State being one of them.

Though a second wave of H1N1 this fall has been much smaller than predicted, Dr. Woods stressed that the vaccine is the best protection against it. He also stressed that, thankfully, the virus is still treatable with drugs such as Tamiflu

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