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Dr. Jon Hallberg

Dr. Hallberg answers listener questions about swine flu

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Pigs are pictured at a farm
Pigs are pictured at a farm in the Lebanese town of Abai, southeast of Beirut, on April 27, 2009. Lebanon imposed a ban on pork imports and urged pig farmers across the country to be vigilant in light of an escalating swine flu crisis. Any pork shipments from countries affected by the swine flu outbreak must be destroyed, the statement added.
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images

MPR listeners have been texting their questions about the swine flu outbreak and all Thing Considered medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg answered some of them in a conversation with MPR's Tom Crann. Hallberg answered questions about last fall's flu vaccine, the effectiveness of anti-viral medicines, the symptoms of the disease and even how to talk to children about the outbreak.

Here is Hallberg's "bottom line" advice with regard to swine flu: "If somebody gets symptoms that match those of influenza, take them seriously. Get help early. These medications work best -- really they only work -- if they're taken in the first 24 hours or so. Believe me, you will know if you're sick. So take the proper precautions."

But he cautions against over-reacting to minor ailments or seeking anti-viral medications for precautionary purposes. "One of the strongest things I can recommend is that people [with only mild symptoms] not ask their primary clinics to get medication," he said. "We should keep this for those who truly need it and not dispense it ahead of time."

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Pigs are pictured at a farm
Pigs are pictured at a farm in the Lebanese town of Abai, southeast of Beirut, on April 27, 2009. Lebanon imposed a ban on pork imports and urged pig farmers across the country to be vigilant in light of an escalating swine flu crisis. Any pork shipments from countries affected by the swine flu outbreak must be destroyed, the statement added.
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images