Las Cruces Safes
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Las Cruces Safes
Another wave of H1N1 expected
Another surge in H1N1 influenza virus cases could be around the corner, and health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated and take precautions to avoid the illness.
Officials with El Paso’s Department of Public Health are expecting a wave of H1N1 flu in late January, but Deborah Busemeyer, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Health, said it’s difficult to predict the timing or severity of a flu outbreak.
“We do continue to have people getting sick and dying,” she said. “Because it’s a new virus, it’s hard to predict.”
Busemeyer said the best way to protect yourself and your family is to get vaccinated, and health providers now have enough vaccine for more New Mexicans.
Maggie Mitchell-Thompson, 33, a paralegal from Las Cruces, said she got her daughter, Allison Mitchell, 9, vaccinated in September. Allison has asthma, and got the seasonal flu vaccine and the first dose of the nasal swab H1N1 vaccine at First Step Clinic. But Mitchell-Thompson said the clinic had run out of doses when the time came for her second round, so she never got her booster.
Thankfully, Mitchell-Thompson said, her daughter avoided the October flu outbreak, but she said she hopes she can get her 2-year-old son, Jack, vaccinated soon.
The Health Department has ordered about 615,000 doses for providers and public health offices statewide. Vaccine arrives in small shipments weekly, and the department expects to have received close to 1 million doses by the end of January.
Busemeyer said for residents with insurance, the best place to turn for a vaccine is your family health-care provider.
Angie Carver, a nurse with Mesilla Valley Health Care Associates, said her office has gotten all the vaccine it has requested. But, she said, while some patients are asking for the vaccine, others are refusing it.
“They think they might have had (H1N1 flu) in October and they don’t think they need (the vaccine),” Carver said. “Or they think it’s too new, and they don’t want to take a chance.”
Carver said she tries to reassure patients with concerns, since the vaccine is considered safe for everyone over 6 months old.
As for those who think they’re already immune, Carver said most H1N1 diagnoses this year were not confirmed by tests, and it’s still a good idea to get vaccinated.
For those who don’t have insurance, or can’t get the vaccine from their doctor, the Las Cruces Public Health Office at 1170 N. Solano Drive will have free vaccination clinics from 5 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 6, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.
Immunizations will be done by appointment only, and each clinic is limited to 300 people.
Melanie Ikard with the Public Health Office said appointments are still available for the Jan. 27 clinic, but the first two have filled up. However, Ikard said cancellations are common, so appointments could become available for all three clinics.
To schedule an appointment or check for cancellations, call (575) 528-5090 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office will be closed today.
Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman Mandy Leatherwood said the hospital has adequate doses, and is in discussion with the Department of Health about possibly doing a shot clinic in the coming weeks, depending on supply. A spokesperson for MountainView Medical Center said last week that no clinics were planned there at this time.
The H1N1 flu, initially called the swine flu, emerged last spring, spreading person-to-person worldwide, causing the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years. New Mexico has had 50 deaths, including four Do-a Ana County residents, and 964 hospitalizations related to the swine flu since it was first confirmed in the state in April.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccination is the best protection against the flu. The illness can range from mild to life-threatening.
CDC labs have shown that no children and few adults younger than 60 years old have existing antibodies for the H1N1 flu virus, but a third of adults older than 60 may have antibodies against the virus.
The vaccine was scarce at first and priority was given to pregnant women, people with medical conditions and those ages 6 months to 24 years.
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The Science Behind Pharmaceutical Addiction & Young Adults
It is good news that young adult drinking and tobacco use continues to drop all over the United States, according to a report published by the Associated Press. However, the bad news is that young adults are still looking to get “high.” Many will say that abusing pain killers and other prescription drugs is a safer way to feel good. This information is very false. Tobacco and alcohol may not be safe to engage in, but prescription drugs are worse. Smoking one cigarette or having one beer most likely will not end in a serious injury, but by taking one pill, especially when you do not know where it came from, can end in death. Emerging or young adults (ages 18-25) in the bigger New Mexico cities of Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces are partaking in this dangerous pastime, thinking that it is safer than other drug addictions. Drug treatment may be necessary for many of the young people as their addiction becomes worse. Prescription drug addiction has been said to be similar to heroin addiction. They are both in the “Opioid” category.
Anyone, not just college-aged adults can become addicted to prescription drugs, even if the drug is being prescribed to them. Generally, oxycodone and hydrocodone are the major pills that drug rehab facilities would report as “highly abused.” You may recognize the drug names: OxyContin, Vicodin, Tylenol 3 and Percocet (to name a few). These drugs produce a euphoric feeling. The addiction can happen quickly and spin out of control before the abuser has the chance to realize there is a problem. Opioid painkillers are so desirable because they basically flood the body with Dopamine. Dopamine is something our body creates normally and makes us feel good. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is Dr. Alan Leshner. He stated that most people who have an addiction to pain killers most likely were not prescribed the drug in the first place. Not everyone who takes Vicodin for pain management should be labeled as an addict. Many people who are prescribed pain pills after an injury or surgery take them as directed and never have an issue. New Mexico is susceptible to obtaining pills like Vicodin with ease, because Mexican pharmacies do not require a prescription to purchase them. They are bought and plainly transported across the border and sold for hefty prices.
The emerging adult population of New Mexico, as well as the rest of the United States are at a higher risk for becoming addicted. It is not just because they are so close to the drugs in New Mexico, but they have additional factors, like peer pressure and the general stress of learning to be an independent adult. Low self-esteem and feeling inadequate can trigger a drug addiction easily. Also, they do not have to rely on Mexican drug-runners to feed their habit. They can simply look in the medicine cabinet of friends and family and often find left over pills.
Because opioid pain killers so closely resemble heroin addiction, drug treatment similar to what a heroin addict would receive may be beneficial. Talking with a counselor at a drug rehab facility is a wise decision if drug treatment is being considered. Addiction to prescription pills is very serious and incredibly unsafe. Though blame should be placed on the person with the addiction, we must not overlook that many physicians as of late are ready and willing to hand out prescription pain pills for little reason at all.
Drug treatment for prescription pain pills is a sensitive matter indeed. Emerging adults from age 18 through mid-twenties can be in a place where they may require additional therapeutic supports and guidance. Drug rehab should be carefully planned and implemented. An Extended Care program and outpatient continuing care is incredibly important. Emerging adults can fall back into their comfort zone and relapse into addiction without proper after-care. Keeping them away from the triggers that led them to their addiction is one of the keys for success.
The science behind prescription drug addiction is pretty simple: it makes users feel good or at least better than they felt before starting them. It is difficult to let go of something that makes a person feel good, and the detoxification process from opioids can be a rough road. However, there are many ways to make the process more comfortable. Vista Taos Renewal Center is a New Mexico drug rehab center that believes there is more to beating addiction than just a simple treatment program. There are holistic measures to help people through the drug treatment process that boost the chances of success. We must remember: if recovery is a more positive experience, addicts will have a greater chance of achieving sobriety. They will realize that there is life outside of their addiction and may work harder to obtain it.
About the Author
Vista Taos is a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center in Taos New Mexico. Vista Taos specializes in drug rehabs including: Alcohol Addiction, Drug Abuse, Cocain Addiction, Heroin Addiction, Prescription drugs, and more.