Health News
- First Two Cases Of Flu Reported In Ky.; Time To Get Your Vaccine
Flu season in Kentucky typically begins in October or November, and is right on schedule as state public health officials have reported the first two confirmed cases of the season in Jefferson and Kenton counties. Public-health officials are encouraging...
- Five Myths About Flu Shots, Explored And Debunked
Myths about the influenza vaccine circulate every year and make it difficult for some to decide whether to get the shot, Tom Watkins reports for CNN. This prompted him to look at five of the most common myths and presents the "truth based on information...
- Lots Of Research Has Established That Children With Egg Allergies Can Still Get A Flu Shot; Those With Asthma Especially Should
Flu season can start as early as October, and children with egg allergies are now encouraged to get a flu shot, especially if they have asthma, according to a news release from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Children...
- Flu Vaccine Recommended For All Over 6 Months; Pneumonia Vaccine Recommended For Those 65 And Older And At High Risk
Vaccination is the best way to keep from getting the flu, and with two influenza cases already reported in Kentucky, now is the time to schedule your annual flu shot, says the state Department for Public Health. Kentucky's flu season typically...
- Now Is The Time To Get Flu Vaccine, State Health Officials Warn
State public health officials are encouraging Kentuckians to be vaccinated for flu now to reduce the spread of the illness. Steve Davis, M.D., acting commissioner of the Department for Public Health, said in a news release, ?Getting the flu vaccine each...
Health News
High-dose flu shot, which many doctors recommend for those over 65 due to risk of death, is becoming more available
It's time for flu shots, but the annual reminder has a new angle: Fluzone HighDose, a special vaccine designed for people 65 and older, who make up 90 percent of the 23,000 people who die of the flu and its complications.
"The high-dose vaccine for seniors, introduced last year by drug-maker Sanofi Pasteur, is becoming more widely available in the area, and health workers say it?s in high demand," Laura Ungar reports for The Courier-Journal of Louisville.The Jefferson County Health Department "charges $40 for the high-dose shot and $25 for the regular vaccine that is injected." (C-J photo by Bill Luster: Joe Blincoe of Louisville gets one of the new, high-dose shots)
The high-dose vaccine contains four times as much antibody-creating antigen as a regular shot, and it is recommended by Dr. Nancy Stiles, a geriatrician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "says problems such as pain and swelling at the injection site and headache or muscle aches were reported more frequently after people got the high-dose vaccine," Ungar writes. "At this point, the CDC is not recommending one type over the other," pending a study. "Whichever type of flu shot seniors get, local doctors are also urging them to make sure they have had a pneumonia shot," which is good for at least five years. (Read more)
The high-dose vaccine contains four times as much antibody-creating antigen as a regular shot, and it is recommended by Dr. Nancy Stiles, a geriatrician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "says problems such as pain and swelling at the injection site and headache or muscle aches were reported more frequently after people got the high-dose vaccine," Ungar writes. "At this point, the CDC is not recommending one type over the other," pending a study. "Whichever type of flu shot seniors get, local doctors are also urging them to make sure they have had a pneumonia shot," which is good for at least five years. (Read more)
- First Two Cases Of Flu Reported In Ky.; Time To Get Your Vaccine
Flu season in Kentucky typically begins in October or November, and is right on schedule as state public health officials have reported the first two confirmed cases of the season in Jefferson and Kenton counties. Public-health officials are encouraging...
- Five Myths About Flu Shots, Explored And Debunked
Myths about the influenza vaccine circulate every year and make it difficult for some to decide whether to get the shot, Tom Watkins reports for CNN. This prompted him to look at five of the most common myths and presents the "truth based on information...
- Lots Of Research Has Established That Children With Egg Allergies Can Still Get A Flu Shot; Those With Asthma Especially Should
Flu season can start as early as October, and children with egg allergies are now encouraged to get a flu shot, especially if they have asthma, according to a news release from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Children...
- Flu Vaccine Recommended For All Over 6 Months; Pneumonia Vaccine Recommended For Those 65 And Older And At High Risk
Vaccination is the best way to keep from getting the flu, and with two influenza cases already reported in Kentucky, now is the time to schedule your annual flu shot, says the state Department for Public Health. Kentucky's flu season typically...
- Now Is The Time To Get Flu Vaccine, State Health Officials Warn
State public health officials are encouraging Kentuckians to be vaccinated for flu now to reduce the spread of the illness. Steve Davis, M.D., acting commissioner of the Department for Public Health, said in a news release, ?Getting the flu vaccine each...