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Dr. Sherri Tenpenney, DO: There must be some other, non-obvious reason they want us all to have that flu shot that I haven't completely figured out yet. Last year, less than 20% of total population got Swine flu shot; they burned $450M worth of the stuff. I can hear CDC's Anthony Fauci now, "we're just lucky this year." Right.

Flu barely on the radar this season
There are so few cases reported in Mich. that health officials aren't tracking them
Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News
One year after the swine flu sickened, hospitalized and killed residents around the globe, this season's flu is so mild that state health officials aren't even tracking cases.
Like the rest of the nation, flu activity is low in Michigan, said James McCurtis, spokesman for the state Department of Community Health. This contrasts sharply with last year, when few were immune to the H1N1 flu strain that created a worldwide pandemic, leading people to stand in line at clinics for a vaccine initially reserved for those deemed most at risk.
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McCurtis wondered if last season's public health campaign encouraging people to cover their mouths when coughing, wash their hands more often and use sanitizers led to habits that have helped stave off seasonal flu thus far.
"Maybe people are listening and adhering to the guidelines," McCurtis said. "This is a very good start. We're at the end of November and only seeing sporadic cases. That's pretty good."
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness that can be mild to severe and sometimes fatal, mostly among people over age 65. Symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and fatigue.
Last year's swine flu was the first global pandemic in 40 years. It was first detected in the United States in April 2009 in a 10-year-old California patient, and then spread to the rest of the nation. In contrast with seasonal flu, the H1N1 virus preyed primarily on people under age 65: Schools closed; people clamored to get the vaccine; health officials gave regular reports of vaccine availability and updated the number of people struck by the virus.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 12,000 Americans died of swine flu last season.
But this year, flu is barely on the radar screen. McCurtis was aware of only one case of seasonal flu that has been confirmed in Michigan, but he added that people don't always go to see their doctor when they are sick.
Even so, McCurtis cautioned that it's early in the season, which runs from late August through May, with the peak usually occurring during January and February.
That means people should still get a flu shot, which includes protection against the H1N1 virus and two seasonal strains. People can get the vaccine from their local physicians and various retailers.
The CDC recommends flu shots for everyone over the age of 6 months, especially those at high risk of complications, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions, such as asthma.
An early surge of people have gotten flu shots at Dr. George Blum's offices in Bingham Farms and West Bloomfield. Blum, a pediatrician, has been trying to encourage others who are not interested in the flu shot to get it. Some people have concerns about the vaccine making people sick afterward and that is not true, Blum said.
"If everybody would get flu vaccines," Blum said, "there wouldn't be an epidemic every year."


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101126/LIFESTYLE03/11260374/Flu-barely-on-the-radar-this-season#ixzz16WP03giM