op-ed Inquiring Photographer: What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? BY SWEETINA KAKAR A romantic dinner and movie with my wife. Mark Somen A dinner and a movie with my favorite man Truffles. Gail Sherwood and her dog Truffles We’re spending it with the kids. Natalie Sfeliniotis with her children George, Penny and niece Valentina We’re going to the city for brunch with our daughter. Michael and Yuzuko Degrottole with daughter Liliana Degrottole We haven’t even thought about that yet. We just got through with Christmas. Roger Brienza Dinner and a romantic movie. Richard and Lorane Hradek CRYDER POINT • T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s p a p e r o f C r y d e r P o i n t • “We’re All About You” Publisher & Editor Victoria Schneps-Yunis Associate Publisher Joshua A. Schneps Editor In Chief Toni Cimino Cryder Point Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 e-mail: [email protected] Art Director Jennifer Decio Artists Stephen Reina, Nirmal Singh, Ron Torina, Cheryl Gallagher Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by the Cryder Point Courier. All letters sent to CRYDER POINT COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Only letters with a name given will be accepted. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of CRYDER POINT COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to CRYDER POINT COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. CRYDER POINT COURIER assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold CRYDER POINT COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. C R Y D E R P O I N T 8 FEBRUARY FLU DEMANDS RESPECT By Dr. Scott Breidbart, Chief Medical Officer, Empire Bluecros Blueshield In the universe of infectious diseases, influenza, or flu, doesn’t usually gather interest. Ebola kills almost all infected people, isn’t in the United States, and had a best seller written about it. Tuberculosis, or consumption, is worldwide, continuously threatens to become immune to all treatments, and has killed many famous people, from artists to politicians. Polio kills and paralyzes, launched the March of Dimes, and its vaccine – along with that of smallpox – is one of the great triumphs of medicine. Dr. Scott Breidbart But flu? Flu doesn’t seem to command the same level of fear and loathing. It’s common – everyone gets it at one time or another. People usually feel miserable for a week, and unless they are old, young, immune suppressed, or very unlucky, recover with nothing worse than the ire of the co-workers they spread it to. The flu season starts in the fall and lasts into the spring, sort of like the hockey season, and like hockey, some seasons start later and there are good years and bad years. The experts cannot predict whether the season will start early, last a long time, or kill more people than usual. So, while it may not win a Golden Globe for worst infectious disease, you still DO NOT want to get it. The flu will make you feel rotten. If you are old, young, or have a poor immune system, it can kill you. If you spread it to a friend, neighbor or colleague who is fighting cancer, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, kidney disease or who had a transplant, it can pose a highly serious threat to their health, and they may de-friend you on Facebook. So how can you avoid the flu? Get a flu vaccine. Stay away from sick people or people who are complaining that they just feel achy and feverish. Don’t touch them, don’t shake their hands, and don’t let them cough on you. Get a flu vaccine. Wash your hands. Get a flu vaccine. And, of course, always check with your doctor if you get it (even after taking all these precautions). This year’s flu vaccine is about 60% effective. That is very good. Statins don›t reduce the death from heart disease by 60%. Even seat belts don›t reduce crash related injuries by 60%. Japan mandated flu vaccine for school children from 1962 to 1987 and 40,000 deaths a year were prevented! After the vaccination of school children was stopped, deaths from flu in Japan rose. The flu vaccine is recommended for just about everyone over the age of six months. Get a flu vaccine. And plead (if you must) with your neighbors and friends to get a flu vaccine if they haven’t already gotten one. That’s what I’m doing. Dr. Breidbart is Chief Medical Officer for Empire BlueCross BlueShield, New York’s largest health insurer; insuring nearly 6 million New Yorkers. 8 cryder point courier | FEBRUARY 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
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