European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 22, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Reverl Feu get that vaccine by Janet Agostino " medical writer a t he flu will soon be Back inflicting aches and pains fatigue fever end other forms of misery. " the Only Consolation is the knowledge hat this year s flu  which starts in december should viol be any worse than in previous years according to the world health organization to Don t have Ariy reason to expect anything but a Norma season said Karen Esteves technical officer in the organization s division of communicable diseases. A a _ flu is caused to viruses tiny infectious agents that enter the respiratory tract in airborne droplets and Lodge in the nasal passages. Flu symptoms include muscular aches and pains fever chills headache sore Throat and dry Cou Gru flu is tougher to stake thana common cold and will leave Tia victim weak and bred for a longer period of Lima. Most people get a mild Case of he flu and recover quickly. Gut for the elderly and people with serious health problems flu can cause Lile lure Lening complications. There Are currently two major types of influenza viruses a and b. Elleves said. Influenza a causes More serious outbreaks by Ftp while influenza b epidemics Are usually Milder and attest More children. Viruses can modify themselves from season to season sometimes changing More drastically in one year than another. These modifications mean that people who Hava been in acted or Given a flu shot in previous years May become infected again. This is one reason Why new vaccines must be developed every year. The world health organization has Mora than 100 laboratories around the world monitoring influenza viruses Esteves said. The labs isolate viruses from people suspected of having the flu. They confirm that the Parson does indeed have the disease and then determine what kind of virus has infected them. It a particular virus cannot be diagnosed samples Are sent to two collaborating confers the centers for disease control in Atlanta a. And the National Institute for medical research in London. In february each year the world health organization recommends a vaccine for a coming Winter based on the types of Llu which have been circulating for the past year and Are the most Likely to occur in the next flu season. The to vaccine that will be Given out a military medical facilities Lor the 1988-89 flu season will protect people from a Taiwan a Sichuan arid a Victoria Bald of col Michael Benenson. Preventive Medicine consultant for 7th medical come hoj in Heidelberg West Germany the beat Way to prevent the flu is by getting a Llu shot the vaccine will begin to provide Protection after one or two weeks arid " immunity usually decreases after several months Benenson said a Llu shot 1$ not a guarantee against contracting the flu nor does it protect against other types of diseases flu shots Are required for Active duty serve remembers in All three1. Branches. Flu shots Wilt be available for army Aerol remembers by Irre end of the month Benenson said. A Safe spokesman said Theair Force flu shot program has already started. The Llu vaccine is also recommended Lor healthy people Over 65adults arid children with Jon Temi lung or heart problems people who have cancer by other immune logical disorders lowering their resistance to in Lection people of any age who have regularly seen a doctor or been in the Hospital Lor treatment of kidney disease cystic fibrosis diabetes or severe asthma and children and teen agers on Lon term treatment with aspirin for other problems. A recently developed prescription drug called Aman Ladine hydrochloride May also prevent influenza a viruses and reduce the severity of symptoms once a person contracts the flu. However the drug is Only recommended Tor certain High risk patients according to information irom the centers for disease control the Only other Way to help prevent the Llu and reduce its symptoms is to stay healthy by baling properly getting enough Steep and exercising Benenson said the Best Way to treat mild cases of Llu is still bed rest and plenty of fluids aspirin should not be Given to children with the fit Chicken pox or another viral infection because of its association with Reye s syndrome a serious and sometimes fatal illness Benenson said. Influenza is quickly transmitted around the world because Romany people travel and because it is easily passed irom person to person through sneezing and coughing he said. The most severe influenza outbreak occurred in 1918 when the. Spanish flu killed 20 million to 40 million people worldwide. The epidemic was unusual in thai Many of its victims where healthy Young adults. "".-. . The last major la epidemic was in the Winter of 1963-69 when the Hong Kong flu affected 25 percent Olathe pop Tebon in he United Stales. Ingredient food Labelling vital for allergic persons by Marian Burros new York times n february 1986, a blown University student died after eating just two spoonfuls of chill in a Providence r.i., restaurant. The Chili contained peanuts a food to which the student Kate Brodsky was severely allergic. In the Wake of her sudden death the restaurant changed its recipe to exclude peanuts several state legislators. Including one in now York proposed bids to require ingredient Labelling for All last foods even though the restaurant at which the woman ate was not a fast Lood restaurant and Brown University began planning a program to list All the ingredients in food served in its cafeterias and snack bars. Nothing has come of the efforts to legislate ingredient information perhaps because legislators believe there Are More pressing problems and because there is no special interest. Group pushing for it but Biown students will soon to Able to get Complete listings of ingredients served on Campus. Before Brodsky s death Brown was already providing some information about ingredients in cafeteria food. We put the recipes on the serving line five or six years ago said Catherine Payne a dietitian with Iho University s food service students often ask us what is in food not always because of food allergies. Sometimes they Ere vegetarians sometimes they want to reduce the saturated  Payne said she saw three students a week and occasionally a Parent about food Content. There May be As Many As 30 students on Campus who have food allergies she said. Since Brodsky s death the University s food service has been working on a computer program listing the ingredients in each dish in order of predominance As if it were a Label on a packaged product. The information will go onto cards available to the students in the cafeterias. Obviously eating out end buying unlabelled prepared foods can be hazardous to the health of those Likely to have a severe allergic  ingredient information is an essential tool for an allergic person. But because there Are so Many. Situations in which ingredient information either is unavailable or incomplete anyone who has allergies especially those that can be life threatening must be extremely careful and As knowledgeable As possible. Perhaps one half of 1 percent of the adult population in the United states Are allergic to some food. An allergy is an Adverse reaction a i involves the immune system. ,. Food allergies Are generally caused by proteins found in foods like eggs seafood Dairy products and soybeans,1 reactions can take several forms gastrointestinal vomiting abdominal pain diarrhoea and bleeding dermal logic hives or a rash circulatory dizziness or respiratory inability to a Mcalha acute wheezing. Most people who Are allergic know they Are. Ii they Are Aeu Lely allergic they usually know the precautions to Lake As Well As the proper procedure to follow once they have an attack. But according to newspaper reports Kate Brodsky died because she did not seek medical help quickly enough. Or. Saml l Bahna chairman of the department of allergy and immunology at the Cleveland clinic foundation said people who have a respiratory reaction should carry emergency treatment kits with them specifically adrenalin either in a reloaded automatic injector or in a kit that has a syringe with multiple doses of adrenalin arid Anli histamine tablets. Patients he said must be trained to use these kits. But some allergies develop later in Ille those who Are not used to dealing with allergies May nol know How to differentiate Between a mild attack and a severe one. Bahna said that if symptoms develop suddenly like acute generalized hives particularly ii they Are associated with swelling in the facial area or restricted breathing or if Iho person goes into Shock emergency treatment should be sought  is characterized by dizziness. Weakness draining of color rent lha face and elevated pulse rate. In extreme cases the person becomes unconscious. Severe allergic reactions usually occur within 30 minutes after consuming the food. The longer it takes fora reaction the less Likely 1hat it is life threatening. Among adults the most common Lood allergies Are those to eggs peanuts seafood and fish. For infants and Small children cow s milk products eggs and Corn and possibly soybeans cause most allergic reactions. Other High risk foods Are chocolate wheat nuts and Citrus. But there Are Many other foods irom peaches to eggplant that can cause an allergic reaction in some people. In addition there Are several compounds that produce a toxic.-,. Reaction that produces symptoms Simitar to those caused by an allergic reaction. These toxic reactions do not involve the immune system. They include reactions caused by sult Lles used As a preservative and Mon sodium glutamate used to enhance the flavor of some food. The reaction to mag is sometimes called chinese restaurant syndrome because it is used widely in chinese cooking although Esq is now generally dispersed in Iho american food Supply. In addition there is some disagreement among Sci enlists Over whether an artificial Lood colouring. Yellow no. A also called Tartrazine. Causes a. Toxic reaction. Since 1987, wine containing sul files have been required to list its presence on the Label -.-. Page.16the stars and stripes. Tuesday november 22,1988