Epilepsy and H1N1 2010

Last year we were completely freaked out about H1N1. There were fights over who would get the vaccine. People were wearing masks, and hand sanitizer could be found everywhere. AES, CURE, Epilepsy Foundation, Epilepsy Therapy Project and FACES even joined together in support of public awareness on H1N1 virus risks in children with epilepsy. This was all in response to data from the CDC about a possible flu pandemic.

But this year there hasn’t been a peep from any organization on the heightened risk for people with chronic diseases such as epilepsy. On Flu.gov under people with disabilities, you can find a bit on heightened risk but that’s about it.

Now it’s true that the new flu vaccine covers H1N1 and seasonal flu. So, those of us who get a flu shot will be covered for both. (unless of course a new strain comes out) But, if no one is talking about how important the vaccine is for people with epilepsy, lots of us will forget to get the seasonal shot.

Sometimes it helps to get a reminder of last year’s story and those startling statistics that had us so crazy: Epilepsy and H1N1 2009

Just don’t forget, get your flu shot.

Image provides a 3D graphical representation of the biology and structure of a generic influenza virus, CDC Influenza Laboratory.

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

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