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LOCAL
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - 27, 2019 • PAGE 2
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COUNTYWIDE
CDC urges flu vaccination, especially for those at high risk
BY KATHY MITCHELL
FREELANCE REPORTER
While the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) reports
that it’s to o early in the
current flu season to
characterize the timing of
the season, what viruses
will predominate, or how
severe the season will be, the
Atlanta-based federal public
health institute is urging
everyone 6 months of age
and older to be vaccinated
against influenza every
season with rare exceptions.
“Most people who get
sick with flu will have mild
illness, will not need medical
care or antiviral drugs and
will recover in less than
two weeks. Some people,
however, are more likely to
get flu complications that
can result in hospitalization
and sometimes death.
Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus
infections and ear infections
are examples of flu-related
complications. Flu also
can make chronic health
problems worse,” according
to CDC’s website.
Vaccination, the website
states, can reduce flu
illnesses, doctors’ visits, and
missed work and school due
to flu, as well as prevent flu-
related hospitalizations. For
some it can be lifesaving.
The CDC identified
groups of people who are
particularly at high risk of
serious complications from
influenza. Among them are:
Adults older than 65
- “It has been recognized
for many years that people
65 years and older are at
high risk of developing
serious complications
from flu compared with
young, healthy adults. This
is in part because human
immune defenses become
weaker with increasing
age. While flu seasons can
vary in severity, during
most seasons, people 65
years and older bear the
greatest burden of severe
flu disease,” states a CDC
report, which added that
between 70 percent and
85 percent of seasonal flu-
related deaths have occurred
in people 65 years and older
and between 50 percent and
70 percent of seasonal flu-
related hospitalizations have
occurred among people in
this age group.
Pregnant women -
“Changes in the immune
system, heart, and lungs
during pregnancy make
pregnant women—and
women up to two weeks
postpartum—more prone
to severe illness from flu,
including illness resulting in
hospitalization. Flu also may
be harmful for a pregnant
woman’s developing baby,”
the CDC warns. “A common
flu symptom is fever, which
may be associated with
neural tube defects and
other adverse outcomes for
a developing baby. Getting
vaccinated also can help
protect a baby after birth
from flu.”
Young children
- Children also are
particularly at risk, states
the CDC, which reports
that since 2010, flu-related
hospitalizations among
children younger than 5
years old have ranged from
7,000 to 26,000 in the United
States. “Flu illness is more
dangerous than the common
SEE VACCINE ON PAGE 5
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