mas24 wrote:
I saw my Doctor during the second week of September of this year. He said I could get a Flu Shot that day. I told him that I generally get my Flu Shot in late October. He said OK, but no later. I ended up getting it in early October. I wondered if one could get another Flu Shot for double protection. He said, as an adult, it would not. But, children with a weak immune system have received two shots. Surprisingly, there are adults that have died in recent weeks of the Flu in Southern California. One lady was 57 years old, who had other medical issues. Last year, there were at least 14 children who died in the County with the Flu. Flu kills. Take care of yourselves. The worst is yet to come, when the weather will be colder, elsewhere, with more snow and ice.
I saw my Doctor during the second week of Septembe... (
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FAST FACTS ABOUT THE FLU AMONG SENIORS AND BENEFITS OF FLU VACCINE:
1. Influenza (the flu) – highly contagious virus that causes fever, cough, headaches, a sore throat, runny nose, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
2. Influenza strains change from year to year[1]
a) Flu vaccines are made months before flu season
b) Vaccines are prepared based on “educated guesses” about which strains will predominate months later
3. People 65 years and older are at high risk for serious flu complications.[2]
a) People’s immune systems become weaker with age placing people 65 and older at high risk of serious flu complications compared with the young, healthy adults.
b) People 65 and older account for between 50 and 70% of the flu-related hospitalizations.[2]
c) The CDC estimates that each year, approximately 90% of flu-related deaths in the US occur in people 65 years of age and older.[3]
d) Every 12 minutes on average someone age 65 or older die from the flu.[3]
4. If you have chronic health conditions, flu can make them worse even if they are well managed.[2]
a) Heart disease, diabetes, and COPD are among the most common long-term illnesses that can elevate your risk for a life-threatening, flu-related complications.[3]
1) During the 2015-2016 flu season, 41% of adults hospitalized with flu also had heart disease.
• In patients with heart failure, flu vaccination has been shown to provide a 50% reduction in risk of dying during the flu season.[3]
2) If you have diabetes, having the flu make it difficult to control blood sugar levels
• Diabetes patients who receive a flu vaccine have been shown to reduce their risk of hospitalization: 19% for heart attack, 30% for stroke, and 15% for pneumonia and flu.[3]
3) COPD and asthma cause airways to swell and become blocked with mucous. Flu can also increase swelling of airways and lungs, leading to respiratory illnesses.
• Flu vaccination has been shown to reduce hospitalization rates among people with COPD/Asthma by 52%.[3]
b) Eighty percent of seniors are living with 2 or more health conditions which can make them more susceptible to complications from the flu. These chronic conditions include: obesity, stroke, cancer, kidney disease, and inflammatory arthritis.[3]
5. About the Flu Vaccine
a) While flu vaccine can vary in how it well it works, vaccination is the best way to reduce your risk of flu and its potentially serious consequences.[2]
b) While some people who get vaccinated may still get sick, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in those people.
c) People 65 years and older can get any flu shot approved for use in that age group with no preference for any one vaccine over the others. There are regular-dose flu shots that are approved for use in people 65 and older and there are also two vaccines designed specifically for people over 65 and older.[2]
1) A high dose flu vaccine (FluzoneTM High-Dose) contains 4 times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot. The additional antigen creates a stronger immune response (more antibody) in the person getting vaccinated.
2) An adjuvanted vaccine (FLUADTM) is a standard dose flu vaccine with an adjuvant added. An adjuvant is an ingredient added to a vaccine to help create a stronger immune response to vaccination.
d) The side effects of flu shots are mild when compared to potentially serious consequences of flu infection.[2]
1) The most common side effects include soreness, tenderness, redness and/or swelling where the shot was given.
2) Sometimes you might have headache, muscle aches, fever, and nausea or feel tired. The high dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines may results in more of the mild side effects that can occur with standard-dose seasonal shots.
6. If you have flu symptoms – even if you had a flu shot – call your doctor, nurse, or clinic. Doctors can prescribe medicine, called antiviral drugs, to treat flu and lessen the chance of serious illness. These medicines work better the sooner they are started. Call if you have any of the following symptoms:
a) Fever or feeling feverish/chills
b) Cough
c) Sore throat
d) Runny or stuffy nose
e) Muscle or body aches
f) Fatigue (tiredness)
g) Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting
References:
1) Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Medical School, Vol. 44, No. 1, Sept. 2019.
2)
www.cdc.gov/flu 3)
https://ww.seniorflushot.com/flu-shot-importance