Influenza Virus Symptoms

Seniors are at higher risk of severe complications from the flu and need specialized flu vaccines. Seniors can get a standard flu shot but will likely not be as well protected. Two flu shots for seniors include the high dose vaccine and the adjuvanted inactivated flu shot. People over the age of 65 are at greater risk of developing serious complications, like pneumonia , from the flu. That's why it's very important that seniors get the flu shot each year to prepare themselves for the dreaded fall-winter flu season. However, the typical flu shot may not be as effective for seniors, says Laura Haynes, PhD, a professor of immunology at the University of Connecticut Center on Aging....

Here's a sample of some of the Memorial Day commemorations taking place throughout the Garden State. (Email your Memorial Day event information to eventhelp@starledger.com ) Honor guard enters at the Memorial Day service at the Cedar Ridge Cemetery during last year's 76th Blairstown Memorial day parade hosted by American Legion Post 258 in Blairstown.1 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Atlantic County EGG HARBOR TWP. Memorial Day Parade, march from North Mount Airy/Zion Road to Ocean Heights Avenue, ending at Veterans Memorial Park, Ocean Heights Avenue and Swift Drive, 9 a.m. May 30, Veterans Park. rfedeli@ehtgov.org, 609-926-4088. FOLSOM Memorial Day Service, 10 a.m. May 28, Folsom Borough Hall, 1700 12th St. gconway@folsomborough.com, 609-561-3178. LINDENWOLD Memorial Day Tribute, 9 a.m. May 30, Lindenwold Park, 1000 United States Ave. lindenwoldnj.gov, 856-783-2121. SOMERS POINT Memorial Day Parade, march from Dawes Avenue and Shore Road to Somers Point City Hall,...

Dozens of people waited in line at Tufts Medical Center on Friday for COVID-19 vaccinations and tests as infections in Massachusetts surge and the Omicron variant threatens to overwhelm strained health care resources. Eileen McCarthy, 29, who lives in South Boston and is vaccinated but hasn't received a booster shot, said she came for a COVID-19 test after she started feeling cold-like symptoms that worsened on Friday. "I don't want it to be COVID," McCarthy said. "You don't want to be that person who could get someone extremely sick if you're minorly sick." Reports of the fast-spreading Omicron variant were "worrisome," McCarthy added, and add to the sense that the pandemic is never-ending. "It feels like it's never going away," she said. Nick Duncan, director of operations and emergency management at Tufts Medical Center, said the hospital is conducting almost twice as many COVID-19 tests as it did in late November. "W...

The move comes as the country grapples with its first proper flu season in two years. From Wednesday, WA residents of all ages will be able to receive their free flu jab at state-run clinics and participating pharmacies and GPs. People are being urged to get the flu vaccine. (A Current Affair) People aged five and over in SA will be able to go to their GP or pharmacy for their free jab. In a statement, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the free vaccines will be available in a program costing the state nearly $5 million. "The dual challenge of broad community spread of COVID-19 and influenza at the same time during winter threatens to put further pressure on a hospital system already facing significant demand," he said. "We must do everything we can to ensure as many South Australians as possible are immunised against both COVID and influenza to ease pressure on our hospitals." Previously in SA, only certain groups of people, such as young children and those with m...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – A range of specialists, physicians and other medical personnel from the Mount Sinai Health System will soon populate the Emergency Department at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), as the two health-care organizations move forward with a clinical and academic affiliation aimed at providing elite emergency medical care and trauma services to the borough. "We are delighted to further expand and enhance our affiliation with Mount Sinai Health System," said Daniel J. Messina, president and CEO of RUMC, commenting on the newest segment of the partnership between the two providers that was originally established in 2020. "Adding Mount Sinai's emergency medicine expertise with our own team of experienced professionals here at RUMC will provide our community with expanded access to outstanding healthcare services available in the New York metropolitan area in a setting that's close to home." The expanded affiliation, which will go into e...

Published: May 27, 2022 Contacts: Mike Stepien Mike.Stepien@usda.gov Lyndsay Cole Lyndsay.M.Cole@usda.gov USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) continues its efforts to respond to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States. To date, the virus has been confirmed in 35 states, affecting more than 37.9 million domestic birds. APHIS' response efforts include working closely with animal health officials in affected states to quickly identify and address new cases of HPAI. To help ensure APHIS can continue to provide critical rapid response activities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack approved the transfer of $400 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS to directly support the response efforts. "Continuing ou...

Exhausted at the end of a workday, Dawn Turnage plopped into a comfortable chair on her patio to soak up some sun before going to bed early. Her phone buzzed. It was a FaceTime call from her sister, April Washington. Washington was calling because her 2-year-old daughter, Naomi, wanted to talk to "Aunty Dawn" – or "TeTe," as the youngster calls her. As much as Turnage enjoyed chatting with her niece, the timing was terrible. She had felt so wiped out on her drive home from work that she'd called a friend to make sure she wouldn't fall asleep. For more than a week, Turnage had been dealing with extreme exhaustion and nonstop headaches. During the day, she'd chug sodas, hoping they would perk her up and diminish the pain in her head. They didn't. She also had been dropping things, and her vision had wor...

Flu shots are the safest and most effective way to protect yourself from the influenza virus.  The best time to get a flu shot is in October, so it will last through the entirety of flu season.  A study found that those who got a flu shot were less likely to develop severe COVID-19 complications.  It's more important than ever to get a flu shot this year, with experts warning of a "twindemic" — a potentially deadly combination of COVID-19 and influenza viruses.  While being vaccinated against the flu won't totally protect you from COVID-19, it will help prevent you and others from getting sick, which could save lives and help lessen the burden on our healthcare system. Here's eve...

Bill would allow primary care providers to address physical and mental health needs, expand access to behavioral health services WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to behavioral health care. The bill would make it easier for patients to receive behavioral health services in their primary care setting , which would make mental health care more affordable and accessible. "When I experienced depression, resources were there for me. But right now, too many people don't have access to the behavioral health care they need," said Senator Smith. "We need to start treating mental health with the same urgency we treat physical health, and that starts by making sure everyone who needs help can get it. This bill will help primary care providers treat both physical and mental health so that care is more accessible for everyone." "Primary care physicians have a relatio...