Aside from last year’s swine flu pandemic, a state health official said this year’s flu season has been the worst across Pennsylvania in the past six years.

While the number of confirmed flu cases have dropped significantly when compared to last flu season, the number of flu-like deaths and hospitalizations have increased, said Holli Senior, spokeswoman with the state Health Department.

“Compared to the last six (flu) seasons, this flu season was not mild,” said Senior.

The swine flu pandemic swept through the state last year and caused the number of confirmed flu cases to soar to numbers that aren’t suitable for year-to-year comparisons, local health officials said.

So far this season, 280 flu cases have been confirmed in York County, compared to last year’s 666 cases. one of the confirmed flu cases this year resulted in death, while four people died from flu-related illnesses last year.

Across the state, there have been about 15,000 fewer confirmed cases of the flu this flu season, but nearly 100 more hospitalizations and six more deaths than last season.

The state statistics show about one-third of the confirmed flu cases were to unvaccinated individuals.

And more than half of all flu deaths and hospital admissions occurred in individuals who didn’t receive a flu shot this season, according to the statistics.

The height of flu season is considered to occur between October to March, said Senior.

The state typically records the most flu activity between December and March, she said, meaning the brunt of flu activity this season has passed.

Average year: Meanwhile, flu activity at York City’s Bureau of Health has been pretty average this year, said Deb Stoops, immunization coordinator of the bureau.

Stoops credits the lower number of flu cases in York

this flu season to more people getting vaccinated.

“After last year, flu shots were available for people everywhere this year, including Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS,” she said.

People who got severely sick from the flu this year were often those who opted out of the flu vaccination, she said, noting the importance of the vaccine.

The city’s health department distributed about 3,100 flu vaccines this year, she said.

But that’s nothing compared to the 10,500 that were distributed to senior centers, schools and residents last year in anticipation of the H1N1 flu virus, she said.

Stoops also said the health bureau gave city residents Tamiflu during this year’s season, which most likely contributed to lower flu cases this year.

The medication is used to treat some types of flu in adults and children older than 1 who experience early symptoms of the flu.

The city’s health department stopped distributing flu vaccinations at the end of March, said Stoops.

– Reach Lauren Whetzel at 505-5432.

SPRINGFIELD – Inmates at two Illinois prisons are being keptlocked in their cells because of an outbreak of the flu.

The Illinois Department of Corrections placed Graham CorrectionalCenter in Hillsboro on lockdown Monday because several inmates werecomplaining of flu symptoms. Danville Correctional Center has beenlocked down since last week after some prisoners came down withchills, fevers and respiratory ailments.

Corrections spokeswoman Sharyn Elman said officials are treatingthe ill inmates at the two medium-security lockups and trying tokeep the flu from spreading by keeping prisoners in their cells.the department temporarily has stopped allowing visitors at the twoprisons.

“We’ve been following all of the pandemic protocols,” Elmansaid.

Graham, which has 1,900 inmates, has several special programs,including one for inmates undergoing kidney dialysis. Elman said itis important to keep the flu contained until it runs itscourse.

“You just don’t want it to spread,” Elman said.

Although the lockdown at Graham is in its early stages, Elman saidthe agency thinks inmates at Danville are on their way torecovery.

Adam Wilson, with his wife Dannielle and daughter Lainie, 14 months, moved from Pt Pirie to Kadina due to concerns about Pirie’s lead levels. Picture: James Elsby Source: AdelaideNow

a FOUR-year program to reduce blood lead levels in Port Pirie's children has failed to reach its goal.

The program has been rebranded anyway, even though its target level is still dangerously high.

The Tenby10 program ended last year but will continue as ten for Them, without any accountable timeframe.

It aims to reduce blood lead levels in 95 per cent of the town’s children, aged nought to four, to below 10 micrograms per decilitre (m/dl).

Smelter operator Nyrstar, the Environment Protection Authority, SA Health and Port Pirie Council will meet tomorrow to debate the program’s future direction.

Latest figures show that in four years, the program managed to reduce children’s blood lead levels by just over 23 per cent, relying on community education and raising awareness.

SA Health results in December showed 72.1 per cent of the town’s children had blood lead levels below the targeted level, a 1 per cent improvement on 2009. Final figures for 2010 are expected in coming days.

A Nyrstar spokeswoman described the project as a success: "Certainly while that 95 per cent hasn’t been reached, it is a tremendous result."

Nyrstar has invested $56 million upgrading the smelter and expanding the town’s lead-in-air monitoring network.

While the Tenby10 website and material maintain the 10m/dl figure is endorsed as a "World Health Organisation (WHO) standard", a 2010 WHO report actually highlights dangers of blood lead levels under that figure.

The 2010 Childhood Lead Poisoning report said an increase from under 1m/dl to 10m/dl was associated with a six-point decrease in children’s IQs.

Lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms but the report lists nine known illnesses resulting from lead levels previously considered safe, including attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, hypertension and toxicity in reproductive organs.

"they are irreversible and untreatable by modern medicine," the report said.

Despite their daughter having lead levels below the Tenby10 target, Adam and Dannielle Wilson decided to relocate from Pirie to Kadina with 14-month-old Lainie in January after mr Wilson was offered a new job.

"We left because we wanted to have some of the things that you can’t have in Port Pirie (because of lead emissions)," mr Wilson said.

"We wanted to be able to grow our own veggie patch and play in a sandpit. We worked hard to keep her level down and it still went up to three (m/dl). "We were devastated."

Mr Wilson and his wife are not prepared to risk their daughter’s health. "WHO says five (m/dl) and in Germany it’s around three (m/dl)," he said.

"We would be on the cusp if we lived in Germany, so why should it be any different because we live in Port Pirie?

"There are still a lot of people who ignore the recommendations."

Palo Alto Online News Adjust text size

Uploaded: Sunday, February 6, 2011, 12:51 PM                                            

Schools to require new vaccine for pertussis Law mandating pertussis booster for seventh through 12th grade students follows whooping cough deaths in 2010

by Chris KenrickPalo Alto Online Staff

Starting this fall, California public and private schools will require students in grades 7 through 12 to have a booster shot against pertussis, better known as whooping cough. The mandate — which follows the death of 10 California infants in a whooping cough epidemic last year — comes from a new law signed last September by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation has “no shortage” of the vaccination, a spokeswoman said. “The new state regulation says that all students between seventh and 12th grade need (the pertussis booster) because the childhood vaccination doesn’t give lifelong immunity,” Medical Foundation Public Affairs Manager Cynthia Greaves said. for the 2011-12 school year, all students entering any grade from 7 to 12 will need proof of the booster, known as Tdap. for 2012-13 and future school years, all students entering seventh grade — or those newly registering for seventh through 12th grade in a California district or private school — will need proof of the Tdap booster. more information is posted at shotsforschool.org, sponsored by the California Department of Public Health. The agency is urging parents not to wait for the new school year to get children vaccinated since “there will be no grace period, and the regulations will be strictly enforced.” The Palo Alto Medical Foundation — whose patient population includes 60,000 children in the seventh- to twelfth-grade age group stretching from Watsonville to San Mateo County to the East Bay — has identified which of those already have had the booster and which have not. The foundation recently mailed proof of vaccination to parents of children who have had the booster that will be acceptable to school officials, PAMF Director of Communications and Public Affairs Jill Antonides said. in the coming weeks, the foundation will mail reminders about the new law to parents of children who have not yet had the Tdap booster, Antonides said. in calendar 2010, 8,383 cases of whooping cough, including the 10 infant deaths, were reported throughout California, according to a preliminary count by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was the highest number of reported cases since 1947, when 9,934 cases were reported, and the highest incidence of cases since 1958, when there were 26 cases per 100,000 population, the CDC said.

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Comments

Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Feb 6, 2011 at 5:26 pm

I hope parents don’t start whining that this vaccine causes polio or Parkinson’s or brain melt or my-kid’s-not-gonna-be-perfect-if-they’re-vaccinated syndrome or any other bull puckey medical condition.

Posted by californian…..no more, a resident of another community, on Feb 6, 2011 at 8:37 pm

if you get this shot, you will get whooping cough!!! do not get it. they inject the virus into you so you get it and they get their money and you come back and pay for medicine. this shot will give you the virus and its contagious and other people might get it too. so i advise for you not to get it. thank you.

Posted by Wife of M.D., a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 6, 2011 at 10:16 pm

Oh, please, Californian, get real. that is how ALL vaccines work. Inject the person with a small amount of either dead or live virus, the antibodies build up in the body so when the person is exposed to a large amount of the virus, the body already has antibodies to fight it off so the person does not get sick. The vaccines have such a small amount of the virus in them so a person does not actually develop symptoms of the virus.

Whooping cough is a serious illness which lasts for at least a month of coughing until one nearly vomits.

The live viruses do make a person remotely contagious (stay away from newborns and those with compromised immune systems) while the dead ones do not. The flumist is a live virus, vs. the injection.

Posted by person……, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Feb 6, 2011 at 10:17 pm

what would you recommend?

Posted by Jeff, a resident of another community, on Feb 6, 2011 at 10:24 pm

The shot is NOT mandatory! Parents can sign a personal beliefs exemption form if they don’t want their kids to get the shot. Web Link

And before allowing the shot, parents should at least read the package insert. There are 2 brands of Tdap vaccine.

Posted by Wife of M.D., a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 6, 2011 at 11:37 pm

Whooping cough is highly contagious and cough syrup does nothing for the symptoms. even those who have been vaccinated can catch the virus but symptoms will be less.

From the CDC: Web Link

Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud “whooping” sound. this extreme coughing can cause you to throw up and be very tired. The “whoop” is often not there and the infection is generally milder (less severe) in teens and adults, especially those who have been vaccinated.

Early symptoms can last for 1 to 2 weeks and usually include:

?Low-grade fever (generally minimal throughout the course of the disease)

?Mild, occasional cough

?Apnea ? a pause in breathing (in infants)

Because pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold, it is often not suspected or diagnosed until the more severe symptoms appear. Infected people are most contagious during this time, up to about 2 weeks after the cough begins. Antibiotics may shorten the amount of time someone is contagious.

As the disease progresses, the traditional symptoms of pertussis appear and include:

?Paroxysms (fits) of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop”

?Vomiting (throwing up)

?Exhaustion (very tired) after coughing fits

The coughing fits can go on for up to 10 weeks or more. in China, pertussis is known as the “100 day cough.”

Although you are often exhausted after a coughing fit, you usually appear fairly well in-between. Coughing fits generally become more common and severe as the illness continues, and can occur more often at night. The illness can be milder (less severe) and the typical “whoop” absent in children, teens, and adults who have been vaccinated.

Recovery from pertussis can happen slowly. The cough becomes less severe and less common. however, coughing fits can return with other respiratory infections for many months after pertussis started.

Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Feb 7, 2011 at 12:28 am

Apparently, the shot is mandatory. Of course, there are loopholes, as there always are in these PC my-child-is-oh-so-special times. There are always selfish people who don’t want their child inoculated but they count on the majority being so, and piggy back on the them.

Posted by mark, a resident of the University South neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 12:45 am

What does Whooping Cough sound like?

Glad we have the internet: Web Link

Posted by gunn parent, a member of the Gunn High School community, on Feb 7, 2011 at 11:49 am

So parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids..their kids will be the one who end up getting whooping cough.

Survival of the strongest. Feel sorry for the ignorant , paranoid parents who do not protect their kids.

Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 12:11 pm

no, their kids will just be carriers.

Posted by mark, a resident of the University South neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 12:54 pm

Gunn Parent: the sad truth is that Californian’s kids are likely to be fine (relatively) – but they will pass it onto another family who ends up infecting a one year old or a newborn, who in turns dies. that is what’s so incideous about pertussis…to most people it’s like a long cold or flu (what Wife of MD describes), but it is exceptionally dangerous to young children.

Posted by Sarah, a resident of Los Altos, on Feb 7, 2011 at 2:28 pm

The pertussis vaccine does not prevent transmission. It only makes pertussis more mild. Vaccinated people can and do transmit the bacteria to others.

Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 3:58 pm

Apparently adults are just as capable of spreading this bacteria. If it’s so dangerous, why are we not ALL required to be revaccinated? Is the workplace or public transit any less conducive to infection than the classroom?

Posted by EcoMama, a resident of the Community Center neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 6:13 pm

A friend of a friend lost her newborn to whooping cough. Her own vaccinations were out of date. All adults are supposed to get boosters every 10 years (pertussis, as well as tetanus and diptheria, is part of what’s covered by the TDAP or DTAP, as my doc referred to it). What the district is suggesting is not outrageous; kids received these vaccinations as babies, and it’s just a booster. for goodness sake, set aside paranoia and ask a doctor. And then ask yourself: could you live with yourself if you passed a fatal illness along to a child?

I wish I new of a pro-vaccine movement … there needs to be a loud one to make exceptions harder to come by. this paranoia over advanced medicine that we’re lucky to have access to drives me nuts.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 9:04 pm

Found a study published by the Royal Society, the prestigious U.K. based science group, saying the whooping cough outbreak is being caused by a mutated bacteria.

According to the Society, the widely used aP vaccination makes the “host”, i.e. our children, more susceptible to the mutated bacteria.

The current whooping cough vaccine does not protect against this new mutated strain.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 9:09 pm

from the Royal Society abstract on the pertussis vaccine:

“Despite over 50 years of population-wide vaccination, whooping cough incidence is on the rise. although Bordetella pertussis is considered the main causative agent of whooping cough in humans, Bordetella parapertussis infections are not uncommon. The widely used acellular whooping cough vaccines (aP) are comprised solely of B. pertussis antigens that hold little or no efficacy against B. parapertussis.” Web Link published 2010.

Posted by Abstract reader, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 9:11 pm

“According to the Society, the widely used aP vaccination makes the “host”, i.e. our children, more susceptible to the mutated bacteria.”

Not quite. The study was performed on rodents, not humans.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 9:15 pm

The New York Times also reported, Web Link, that:

“The rise in pertussis doesn’t seem to be related to parents’ refusing to have their children vaccinated for fear of potential side effects.

in California, pertussis rates are about the same in counties with high childhood vaccination rates and low ones. And the C.D.C. reports that pertussis immunization rates have been stable or increasing since 1992.”

when disease incidence statistics publicized by state health departments do not match those published by federal health agencies, there is something wrong.

It is time for California health officials to fully disclose complete details of the 1,500 whooping cough cases they allege have occurred in the state during the past year, including how many cases were lab confirmed as B. pertussis; how many cases were classified as “epidemiologically linked” – which means they were NOT lab confirmed; and the ages and vaccination status of all cases, including whether people with suspected or confirmed cases had been given 1,2,3,4,5,6 or more pertussis shots.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 7, 2011 at 9:19 pm

There are children, who are at higher risk for becoming brain injured or dying after getting pertussis containing vaccines (DTaP, Tdap), including those who have suffered previous vaccine reactions like:22 ,23

* very high fever

* High pitched screaming or persistent crying

* Convulsions (with or without fever)

* Collapse/shock (also known as hypo-tonic/hypo-responsive episodes)

* Brain Inflammation and encephalopathy

For a full list of precautions for children, teenagers and adults, read the manufacturer product inserts and get more information about how to recognize a vaccine reaction at NVIC.org.

Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Feb 7, 2011 at 11:11 pmHmmm is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online

EcoMama – as usual, you are a voice of reason – thanks for your post.

Posted by Fleur de Lis, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2011 at 11:37 amFleur de Lis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online

My husband was vaccinated for whooping cough and then still got it as a teen, but believes it was more mild because of having been vaccinated. He recently had the Tdap when in for a recent check-up. With children in preschool, I was aware that the other children who appeared the most runny nosed and sick all the time were the ones whose parents were against vaccinations. so, I believe in safe guarding my child by vaccinating, knowing at least that if my child does get sick, at least it will be more mild than had I not had my child vaccinated. Better safe than sorry.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2011 at 11:46 am

I cannot speak for other kids, but my son was not vaccinated, and he stays healthy while other kids who have been vaccinated come down with fevers, runny noses, colds, etc.

I believe it is the vitamin D and C I give him.

Posted by Wife of M.D., a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2011 at 12:18 pm

@Mom of Adobe: you are relying on your own experience and anecdotes rather than medical research of thousands of people. There are many variables to what you have witnessed, such as – perhaps those kids attend daycare on a regular basis, their parents don’t wash their hands often enough, etc. If your child is exposed to a contagious virus, the vitamins will not ward off the virus.

Linus Pauling’s research on Vitamin C to avoid colds has been proved flawed: Web Link

Research on the vaccine link to autism has been proved a fraud: Web Link

Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Feb 10, 2011 at 6:53 pm

There was also a study showing that all vitamins are expelled by the body. The vitamin D thing has been disproven I thought as well, but I might be wrong. It was the latest hyped vitamin. It’s pretty interesting that people are so anti-vax. where I find it relevant is questioning the wisdom of vaccinating older dogs & cats who are either always onleash or kept indoors.

I’ve been frustrated by the parents whose kids piggyback on the ones who who’ve been vaccinated. most of them, in my experience, are new agers who buy into fake science.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 11, 2011 at 12:49 pm

wife of M.D. – gimme a break – quackwatch.com? that is the best you can do? LOL

Everyone knows you cure scurvy with limes. Vitamin C works. That’s elementary school knowledge.

The problem with wife of M.D. is that your husband has a vested interest in promoting vaccination because, it’s one of his revenue sources.

Posted by mom, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Feb 11, 2011 at 1:12 pm

On the unethical advertising of the HPV vaccine: Web Link

(NaturalNews) The horrors caused by Merck & co.’s Gardasil vaccine and GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Cervarix vaccine continue as six young girls recently died from the shots during an experimental Indian trial. The two human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been implicated in at least 67 deaths in the U.S., prompting no response from U.S. officials other than to keep pushing it on the public, but the six deaths in India have prompted the government there to immediately stop all trials of the vaccines.

Merck, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, etc. all those big drug companies that make money off vaccinating your kids all do it for profit. they will stop at nothing to make sure they profit. they will use scare tactics and smear campaigns to ensure that you vaccinate. this is all in the name of PROFIT.

Wife of M.D. I do not buy into your scare tactics and, frankly, unpersuasive attempts to dissuade me from natural, whole food sources of vitamins to ensure the health of my family. you can go ahead and drug up your kids with all the vaccines and drugs your drug company wants you to have. but no thanks for me.

Because no drug company can patent what is the best medicine on earth: and that is FOOD. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be they medicine.”

But your local drug company would love nothing more than to serve you up a cocktail of guardasil, cervarix, trepdia, infanrix, daptacel,… you name it. And scare you into thinking that if you do not your risk your life. Your life hangs on these drugs.

It is a shame. The drug companies are using the oldest trick in the book. And most people buy into it. Because it is profitable, very profitable.

Posted by Wife of M.D., a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 11, 2011 at 1:14 pm

I was not going to spend a lot of time surfing for links about Linus Pauling’s bogus research. There are plenty of links and that one appeared first.

Your knowledge of life is questionable. Vitamin C does not work or your children would never catch a cold. Can you tell me how my husband is paid by the drug companies? that is so far-fetched that it amazes me that one could even think such B.S.

A young woman complaining of diarrhea — one of the hallmarks of cholera — was treated in the emergency room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital earlier this week and given oral rehydration, said Erin McDonough, spokeswoman for the Boston hospital. Preliminary testing found that the woman, who was not identified because of patient confidentiality laws, had cholera.

“The physician I spoke with said there’s very little concern with cholera cases in the US because of the availability of medications and clean water,” McDonough said. “It’s unlikely there would be any transmission.”

A father and his three children are suspected of having the bacterial condition, said Madoff, adding that disease specialists are awaiting laboratory tests on at least one member of the family before a firm diagnosis can be made.

“We’re certainly very suspicious that one or more of the family members may turn out to be positive as well,” Madoff said. that family, he said, was “in the same setting where we know everybody else acquired it.”

That setting was the Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic, where more than 400 guests celebrated a wedding last weekend. Dozens — including attendees from Venezuela, the United States, and elsewhere — became sick after returning home. The timing of their symptoms suggests they were infected while in the Dominican Republic.

The source of the outbreak is unknown. It has been reported that guests dined on lobster, and shellfish can harbor the germs. but if food is cooked thoroughly, the risk of infection should be mitigated. Cholera most often spreads through tainted water or sewage but can be conveyed by contaminated food.

The resort issued a statement today saying that while it “deeply regrets the food poisoning/cholera cases that recently occurred during an exclusive wedding party in a private villa residence within our resort,” the food, drinks, and ice were provided by an outside catering company hired by the party’s hosts.

The strain of the disease circulating in the Dominican Republic has been linked to an epidemic in Haiti that has killed more than 3,000 since October.

Too busy to get your sore throat checked out? Now you can tapout your symptoms, talk to a nurse-practioner online, and get adiagnosis, treatment and even a prescription back within 30minutes.

HealthPartners, aMinnesota non-profit health care organization, is expanding a 24/7online clinic into Wisconsin. anyone living, working or travelingin either state can log  onto virtuwell.com  formedical help with around 30 common and relatively minor medicalconditions, including ear pain, lice, acne, and yeast infections,no appointment needed.

To pay, patients type in their credit card numbers to cover the$40 or less fee —satisfaction guaranteed, according to thewebsite. Cigna and HealthPartners insurance policies cover theonline treatments; other companies may soon follow, according toHealthPartners spokeswoman Jessica Flannigan.

Since launching the program in Minnesota in October, said KevinPalattao, vice president with Virtuwell, the site has gotten”thousands” of visits and feedback is “very positive.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of response the programgets here in Wisconsin. It might be helpful in meeting the needs ofunderserved rural areas, but in Madison I wonder if there will bemuch demand. Just last summer a couple of walk-in clinics Meriterhad opened to much fanfare in local Shopko stores were shut downfor lack of business, noted Meriter spokeswoman Mae Knowles. Peoplepreferred going to their regular doctors and clinics, she said.

Knowles asked the same question I had when I read theorganization’s press release. It’s definitely an intriguingconcept. but can online medical treatment safely and effectivelytake the place of hands-on and eyes-on care?  “How can you be seenwithout being seen?” she wondered. “How can they diagnose thedifference between a sore throat and strep throat without seeing apatient in person? “

Palattao answered these questions with an e-mail. “We know thatmany simple conditions can be accuratelydiagnosed with a thoroughmedical interview, and in some cases a picture as well,” he wrote.(Patients are always asked to provide a medical history andsometimes asked to upload photos of any visible ailment to thesite.)

Patients with more serious problems, or who require a physicalexam or a lab test, are told to end their online sessions and headto in-person care. “But for conditions we do treat, diagnosing themon line is very effective,” he wrote. It also is cheaper and moreefficient than an office visit, he said.