The Swampscott Board of Health has announced a schedule of free flu and pneumonia clinics, open to all adult residents, 18 and older, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Clinics are scheduled:

· Wednesday, Nov. 12, 9 to 11:30 a.m., Congregation Shirat Hayam, 55 Atlantic Ave.

· Tuesday, Nov. 18, 9 to 11:30 a.m., Congregation Shirat Hayam, 55 Atlantic Ave.

· Tuesday, Dec. 2, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Swampscott Council on Aging Senior Center, 200R Essex St.

All insurance cards, both Medicare and HMO, must be brought on the day of the flu clinic.

Roseanne Morrissey, Swampscott’s public health nurse, offers the following information and suggestions:
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What killed tens of millions of people around the world in the 1918 flu pandemic actually might not have been a flu virus. A new study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases blames different agents: bacteria.

The flu virus weakened lungs, opening the door to fatal bacterial pneumonia in most of the pandemic’s 50 million victims, according to researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The researchers based their findings on preserved lung tissue from 58 soldiers who were infected by the flu and died in 1918 and 1919. They found tissue changes that are the hallmarks of bacteria, not viruses, as well as the destruction of cells that normally protect lungs from bacteria.

They also studied case reports from 1918 in which doctors said they suspected a second infection. One doctor said that the flu “condemns,” but secondary infections “execute.” » Read the rest of the entry..

FDA News — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it has approved this year’s seasonal influenza vaccines that include new strains of the virus likely to cause flu in the United States during the 2008-2009 season.

The six vaccines and their manufacturers are: CSL Limited, Afluria; GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Fluarix; ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec, FluLaval; MedImmune Vaccines Inc., FluMist; Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, Fluvirin; and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., Fluzone.

Approval information and specific indications can be found at http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm.

This season’s vaccines contain three strains of the influenza virus that disease experts expect to be the most likely cause of the flu in the United States.
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ScienceDaily — Batches of homemade chicken soup — fondly known as “Grandma’s Penicillin” — will be more appealing to stuffy-nosed cold and flu victims this winter if prepared with plenty of celery. That’s the take-home message from a study which reports identification of the flavor-boosting components in celery.

In the new study, Kikue Kubota and colleagues note that cooks have long recognized celery’s “remarkable” ability to enchance the complex flavors of soups and broths. Almost magically, celery takes on a sweet-spicy flavor after boiling, helping to give food a thick, full-bodied, satisfying taste. Until now, however, scientists have been unable to track down the roots of celery’s effects.

The scientists prepared batches of chicken broth with and without a volatile extract from celery. Panels of tasters confirmed that the flavor of soup made with celery extract was more » Read the rest of the entry..

Every new year, Lisa Hark finds herself waiting for her kids at the bus stop with a bunch of other moms, most of whom have colds. Hark, on the other hand, can’t remember the last time she was sick.

Her secret? Hark, longtime director of the Nutrition Education and Prevention Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, credits, in part, her well-balanced diet. She regularly eats a variety of citrus fruits and lean protein, which she says helps her immune system stay strong.

Seems she’s on to something. As colds and the flu make the rounds at your office this winter, Hark and other nutrition experts say there’s no reason to assume getting sick is inevitable. By regularly incorporating certain foods into your meals, in addition to maintaining good hygiene and an exercise regimen, you may be able to stave off illness or, at the least, shorten its duration.
In Pictures: Best Cold- And Flu-Fighting Foods » Read the rest of the entry..