Update:Two of Three Deceased Family Members Had Post-Flu MRSA Infections

Two of the three recently deceased family members who had contracted H3N2 influenza in Lusby,Maryland were found to also be infected with post-flu MRSA bacterial infection of the lungs,the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene indicated.Those who died were Lou Ruth Blake,81,and her children Lowell,58,and Vanessa,56.Another daughter,Elaine,51,who lived at home and was her mother's main caregiver,also fell ill and was hospitalized,as was Ruth Blake's sister.Elaine has since been released from hospital and her aunt is improving.
It is possible that the deceased children contracted both the flu and post-flu MRSA infections from their mother while visiting with her.Ruth Blake had been vaccinated with a flu shot;the children had not.Although generally effective,vaccination is not foolproof-especially among the elderly.MRSA,a variety of staphylococcus aureus,is called the flesh-eating bacterium because of its extreme toxicity.Amputations and even death are not uncommon from this dangerous,antibiotic-resistant organism.When lungs have been inflamed by the flu,they are more susceptible to infection by the MRSA bacteria.MRSA bacteria can live harmlessly on the skin for extended periods,apparently waiting for an opening.There have been many previous cases of post-flu infection with this antibiotic-resistant MRSA pneumonia.

Americans Lax About Flu Shots-the cost to business

Influenza takes quite an annual toll on American business,a survey reveals.In 2010,for example,Americans missed 100 million work days because of having the flu.This cost their employers almost 7 billion dollars.Only 41% of Americans got vaccinated that year.
The flu may lazily be seen as just a bad cold that not enough people get to worry about,but such an attitude can have fatal consequences-even for those in middle age,as illustrated by the recent deaths of a brother and sister in their fifties,who apparently died of influenza and its complications,along with their elderly mother,in Lusby,Maryland.
There was plenty of vaccine made for this flu season.Since the season got off to a late start,it could well last into May,so it isn't too late to be vaccinated even now in March.