A Personal Story: Insights from a Father Who Lost a Child to Flu

Transcription

1 A Personal Story: Insights from a Father Who Lost a Child to Flu By: Joseph Marotta Board Member Families Fighting Flu Why Am I Here Today? To share my story and lessons learned from my personal experience To help you understand the seriousness of influenza and the importance of annual flu vaccinations To discuss the benefits of vaccination in preventing influenza To identify how you fit in when it comes to the fight against influenza To explore together how we can make flu prevention a reality for our nation s children and adults

2 Joseph s Story Flu Facts A serious disease that kills more Americans every year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases COMBINED On average in the U.S., 100 children die from influenza and related complications every year Over 150 children died in season Recent CDC data estimate yearly, flu-related deaths range from 12,000 to 56,000 ~650,000 deaths worldwide every year Current CDC recommendation for vaccination is everyone 6 months and older Vaccination is our best line of defense

3 Pandemic Flu History : Spanish flu (H1N1 virus) An estimated 50 million people died worldwide, approximately 675,000 in U.S : Asian flu (H2N2 virus) A new flu virus from the Far East came to the U.S. and approximately 116,000 people died : Hong Kong flu (H3N2 virus) Approximately 100,000 people died in the U.S : H1N1 virus CDC estimates between 9,000 to 18,000 deaths in the U.S. We don t want to let history repeat itself!! *Source: Immunization Fact vs. Fiction Myth #1 You can get the flu from the flu vaccine Myth #2 It s not necessary to get a flu shot every year Myth #3 The flu is just a bad cold Myth #4 Healthy people don t need a flu vaccine Myth #5 It s not necessary for children to be vaccinated against the flu

4 Emma Says People should get their flu shot because: The flu is a serious disease It helps protect YOU It helps protect EVERYONE EVERYONE is at risk for the flu! Families Fighting Flu (FFF) A national, non-profit, volunteer-based advocacy organization dedicated to educating people about the severity of influenza and protecting the lives of children and their families by helping to increase annual flu vaccination rates Founded in 2004 by several families who lost their children to the flu Activities include general outreach, educational programs, partnering with other organizations (e.g., CDC) Mission To save lives and reduce hospitalizations by protecting all children and their families against influenza. Vision That all families understand the seriousness of influenza and the importance of annual vaccination, and as a result all children and their families get vaccinated every year so that no one dies from this vaccine-preventable disease.

5 Levels of Participation Advocate: Families who have been personally affected by flu, as well as individuals who strongly support the goals of FFF, which are to increase flu awareness, increase annual vaccination rates among children and their families, and to reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths caused by flu. Medical advisor: Includes healthcare professionals and researchers with a special interest or focus on influenza. Medical advisors provide guidance and insight on the latest research and findings in the fight against influenza. Partner: Other non-profit organizations, corporations, medical facilities, and health departments that share common goals. Anyone is welcome to be a part of our organization! Visit our website Be Informed! Sign up for our quarterly newsletter, Fighting Influenza Sign up for Weekly Flu News, which is a weekly (distributed September through April) of the top flu news from a variety of national and local news sources Order flu materials for your school, office, or home Like us on Facebook ( Follow us on Twitter ( Read the stories of our families, whose lives have been permanently altered by the flu

6 Ongoing FFF Initiatives Stay in the Game campaign (multi-year campaign) Message is that no one needs to be sidelined from their game because of the flu School, work, sporting events, etc. Keep everyone healthy with annual flu vaccinations! Don t miss out due to illness! initiatives: Healthcare professional (HCP) e-toolkit Protecting Grandparents from Flu Keep Flu out of School with CDC, NASN, NFID Year 5: Worked with school nurses and teachers in several school districts to increase flu vaccination rates for elementary students Why Are You Important??? Research shows us: There s a strong link between physician recommendations and action to get vaccinated Questions about whether healthy children need vaccinations may prevent parents from immunizing their child(ren) People have concerns about vaccine safety People may not realize that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza Cocooning/herd immunity is an important part Your recommendation for flu vaccination is CRITICAL!

7 Lessons Learned Even healthy children and adults can die from the flu There is no way to predict how seriously someone may be affected by the flu Everyone, regardless of their background, can make a difference in the fight against influenza How??? Educate yourself and share your newfound knowledge! Tell Joseph s story to a friend or even a stranger! Discuss the importance of annual flu vaccination with your family members, community members, neighbors, and acquaintances Visit the FFF website and obtain some free materials (posters, pamphlets) to share with your patients, schools, places of work Risk Management Risk management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events. Risk management s objective is to assure uncertainty does not deflect the endeavor from the goals. Minimize the Risk! : Over 150 pediatric flu deaths 75% of reported deaths were not vaccinated Vaccine Effectiveness Overall VE = 36% Can lessen symptoms Prevent spreading even if you are not sick Reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization Pregnancy - getting vaccinated can also protect a baby after birth from flu

8 TAKE HOME MESSAGE It s not just the flu Flu vaccinations save lives!!! Contact Us Families Fighting Flu Serese Marotta Chief Operating Officer (703) smarotta@familiesfightingflu.org 4201 Wilson Blvd., # Arlington, VA 22203

9 Questions?