Health

Should you get the flu shot this year? Doctors reveal their decision

Published

2 years ago

September 23, 2022

Should you get the flu shot this year? Doctors reveal their decision

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With influenza circumstances already being reported within the month of September 2022, many well being officers are recommending that anybody six months and older get their flu shot in September and October of this yr to arrange for the upcoming flu season.

“It’s a completely good time for [people] to get the shot, proper now,” mentioned Dr. Aaron Glatt, M.D., chair of the Division of Medication and chief of Infectious Ailments at Mount Sinai South Nassau in New York.

He’s additionally a hospital epidemiologist.

SEVERE COMMON-COLD CASES AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN MAY BE PEGGED TO COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS

Michael Kinch, Ph.D., an immunologist and vaccine knowledgeable, in addition to dean of Sciences and a vice chairman at Lengthy Island College in New York, informed Fox Information Digital, “Whereas influenza virus could cause a extreme illness in all individuals — no matter well being or age — older and immune-compromised individuals are significantly inclined” to it.

“It will be important that these people six months and older and who aren’t have had earlier extreme allergic reactions get their flu shot yearly.”

He added, “In a mean yr, 60,000 People die from influenza.”

Concerning that large lack of life, he added that “most of [those losses] will be prevented by routine vaccination.”

Yet one more knowledgeable weighed in on the dialogue.

A girl is proven after receiving the flu vaccine. One physician that Fox Information Digital spoke with recommends that folks get a flu vaccine ideally earlier than the tip of October — earlier than flu circumstances begin to rise.
(iStock)

Dr. Fred Davis, the affiliate chair of Emergency Medication at Northwell Well being in Lengthy Island, New York, informed Fox Information Digital that he sees numerous flu circumstances current to the emergency division annually. Davis recommends that folks get a flu vaccine ideally earlier than the tip of October — earlier than flu circumstances begin to rise.

Davis additionally mentioned, “It will be important that these people six months and older and who aren’t have had earlier extreme allergic reactions get their flu shot yearly.”

By getting the flu vaccine yearly, individuals cut back the possibilities of critical issues from the influenza virus.

Every year the flu shot is formulated to guard in opposition to the 4 probably influenza viruses anticipated to be probably the most prevalent that yr, Davis famous.

By getting the flu vaccine yearly, he mentioned, individuals cut back the possibilities of critical issues from the influenza virus.

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“These extra in danger are [people older] than 65 years outdated, these with sure power medical circumstances (i.e. bronchial asthma, coronary heart illness, diabetes and power kidney illness) and people who are pregnant,” he mentioned.

“The yearly flu vaccine is particularly vital in these teams to scale back the chance of hospitalization and loss of life from influenza,” Davis informed Fox Information Digital.

Get your flu shot as soon as possible, health officials say this year, as they have said in the past as well. But there are rare exceptions in which the flu shot isn't right for people. Check with a health care provider first.

Get your flu shot as quickly as potential, well being officers say this yr, as they’ve mentioned prior to now as effectively. However there are uncommon exceptions by which the flu shot is not proper for individuals. Examine with a well being care supplier first.
(iStock)

Whereas federal well being officers advocate that almost all people six months of age and older get a flu vaccine each season, in uncommon exceptions it isn’t applicable.

Some vaccines might not be proper for sure people, well being officers mentioned as effectively.

“Totally different influenza vaccines are accredited for various age teams,” the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) notes on its web site.

There are standard-dose inactivated flu vaccines which might be accredited for these as younger as six months of age, the CDC famous; nevertheless, some vaccines are accredited just for adults.

“Some individuals (for instance, pregnant individuals and folks with some power well being circumstances) shouldn’t get some forms of influenza vaccines, and a few individuals shouldn’t obtain flu vaccines in any respect (although that is unusual).”

The CDC additionally mentioned that completely different flu pictures are accredited for individuals of various ages — and that everybody ought to get a vaccine that’s applicable for his or her age.

There are standard-dose inactivated flu vaccines which might be accredited for individuals as younger as six months of age, the company famous; nevertheless, some vaccines are accredited just for adults.

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These embody the recombinant flu vaccine that’s accredited for individuals aged 18 years and older, and the adjuvant and high-dose inactivated vaccines which might be accredited for individuals 65 years and older.

Three flu vaccines this yr

Starting with the 2022-2023 flu season, the CDC mentioned there are three flu vaccines which might be advisable for individuals aged 65 and older.

These vaccines are the Fluzone Excessive-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine, the Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine and the Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine.

Davis informed Fox Information Digital it is advisable that folks age 65 and over obtain one in every of these pictures as a result of these are increased doses than the opposite vaccines — and the upper doses are doubtlessly more practical in preventing the flu for this age group.

People should discuss their individual cases with their health care providers to see if the flu vaccine is right for them.

Individuals ought to talk about their particular person circumstances with their well being care suppliers to see if the flu vaccine is correct for them.
(iStock)

The CDC factors out that girls who’re pregnant and folks with sure power well being circumstances can get a flu shot in addition to these individuals with an egg allergy.

Well being consultants, nevertheless, additionally mentioned it can be crucial that folks talk about their particular person circumstances with their well being care suppliers to see if the vaccine is correct for them.

The CDC additionally states that there are uncommon circumstances by which sure people shouldn’t obtain a flu shot.

Those that ought to not get a flu vaccine embody kids youthful than six months of age and people with “extreme, life-threatening allergy symptoms to any ingredient in a flu vaccine (aside from egg proteins).”

The CDC mentioned you will need to communicate with well being care suppliers earlier than getting a flu shot in case you’ve ever had Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a extreme paralyzing sickness.

The company mentioned this would possibly embody antibiotics, gelatin and different substances.

The CDC additionally mentioned that individuals who had a extreme allergic response to a flu vaccine prior to now might not be capable to obtain different influenza vaccines.

It’s important to talk with a doctor or well being care supplier to see if vaccination is suitable.

Health professionals are urging citizens to get their flu shot.

Well being professionals are urging residents to get their flu shot.
(iStock)

The CDC mentioned it’s also vital to talk with well being care suppliers earlier than getting a flu shot in case you’ve ever had Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a extreme paralyzing sickness — as some individuals with a historical past of GBS shouldn’t get a flu vaccine.

As well as, in case you’ve had a extreme allergic response to a earlier dose of some other flu vaccine, talk about with a well being care supplier whether or not you must abstain from a brand new flu vaccine this time round.

“This yr will undoubtedly be more durable than the final two flu seasons, as a result of society is opening up once more — and individuals are sporting masks much less and fewer.”

In case you’re not feeling effectively, discuss to a health care provider first about your signs — to see whether it is an applicable time to get a flu vaccine or not, the CDC additionally identified.

Nasal spray vs. injection: What to know

In the case of the nasal spray flu vaccine vs. injection, well being consultants informed Fox Information Digital that it is important to speak to your doctor to see if this kind of vaccine is suitable — as there are a number of situations by which it is contraindicated and by which a shot could be safer.

“The nasal spray is a dwell, attenuated vaccine, that means it is a weakened however dwelling flu virus,” mentioned Dr. Ken Zweig, M.D., a main care doctor with Northern Virginia Household Observe in Arlington, Va.

“It will not trigger an issue in well being sufferers, but it surely may doubtlessly end in a flu an infection in anybody who’s pregnant, immuno-suppressed or very younger — lower than two years outdated,” he additionally mentioned.

A child sits on an examination table as he receives an immunization.

A toddler sits on an examination desk as he receives an immunization.
(iStock)

Zweig is an assistant professor of drugs at each Georgetown College and George Washington College Medical Faculties in Washington, D.C.

Zweig added, “There are different much less frequent causes to not get the nasal spray, so anybody contemplating it ought to verify with their doctor first.”

Zweig additionally informed Fox Information Digital, “This yr will undoubtedly be more durable than the final two flu seasons, as a result of society is opening up once more — and individuals are sporting masks much less and fewer.”

“Lots of people have vaccine fatigue from all of the COVID pictures — and extra infants and toddlers have by no means seen the flu … so that they seemingly haven’t any immunity.”

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Zweig is hopeful the probability of spreading the flu virus will lower, since COVID remains to be on individuals’s minds and many individuals are exercising warning.

“Most individuals are nonetheless much less prone to go to work or see buddies after they have chilly signs, so I believe there will probably be much less probability to unfold the flu than there was previous to COVID,” he mentioned.

Nonetheless, Zweig remains to be involved.

“Lots of people have vaccine fatigue from all of the COVID pictures — and extra infants and toddlers have by no means seen the flu, because the final two seasons have been so delicate, so that they seemingly haven’t any immunity,” he mentioned.

“The easiest way to make sure a milder flu season is to get as many individuals vaccinated as potential, so make sure to get vaccinated.”

Glatt additionally informed Fox Information Digital, “Flu stays a really critical sickness that we have to eradicate — and the easiest way to stop getting very critical flu sickness is thru vaccination “

Amy McGorry is a contributing well being reporter for Fox Information Digital. Comply with her on Twitter @amymcgorry.

Health

Cancer Remission Like Catherine’s Does Not Always Mean the Illness Is Cured

Published

5 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

Cancer Remission Like Catherine’s Does Not Always Mean the Illness Is Cured

Princess Catherine, wife of Prince William, reported on Tuesday that her cancer was in remission. But what does it mean to be in remission from cancer?

Doctors discovered her cancer unexpectedly last March when she had abdominal surgery. She has not revealed the type of cancer she has, nor how advanced it was when it was discovered.

But she did say she had chemotherapy, which she said had been completed in September. She told the British news agency PA Media that she had a port, a small device that is implanted under the skin and attached to a catheter that goes into a large vein. It allows medicines like chemotherapy drugs to be delivered directly to veins in the chest, avoiding needle sticks.

Catherine told PA Media that chemotherapy was “really tough.”

“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” she wrote on Instagram.

Her announcement “certainly is good news and is reassuring,” said Dr. Kimmie Ng, associate chief of the division of gastrointestinal oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

But cancer experts like Dr. Ng say that the meaning of remission in a patient can vary.

In general, when doctors and patients talk about remission, they mean there is no evidence of cancer in blood tests or scans.

The problem is that a complete remission does not mean the cancer is gone. Even when a cancer is “cured” — defined as no evidence of cancer for five years — it may not be vanquished.

That makes life emotionally difficult for patients, who have to have frequent visits with oncologists for physical exams, blood tests and imaging.

“It’s really scary,” Dr. Ng said. “The amount of uncertainty is very very hard,” she added.

But that ongoing surveillance is necessary, despite the toll it takes on patients.

“Different cancers have different propensities of returning or not returning,” said Dr. Elena Ratner, a gynecologic oncologist at the Yale Cancer Center.

As many as 75 to 80 percent of ovarian cancers, she noted, can come back in an average of 14 to 16 months after a remission, depending on the stage the cancer had reached when it was found and on the cancer’s biology.

“Once the cancer returns, it becomes a chronic disease,” Dr. Ratner said. She tells her patients: “You will live with this cancer. You will be on and off chemotherapy for the rest of your life.”

Dr. Ratner’s gynecological cancer patients have to come back every three months for CT scans to keep an eye out for evidence that the cancer has returned.

“The women live CT scan to CT scan,” she said. “They say that for two and a half months, they have a wonderful life, but then, in time for the next CT scan, the fear returns.”

“It costs them — it costs them a lot,” she said.

“It’s awful, yet I am amazed every day by their strength,” she said of her patients.

Health

Death Toll in Gaza Likely 40 Percent Higher Than Reported, Researchers Say

Published

13 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Death Toll in Gaza Likely 40 Percent Higher Than Reported, Researchers Say

Deaths from bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza may have been underestimated by more than 40 percent, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet.

The peer-reviewed statistical analysis, led by epidemiologists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, used modeling in an effort to provide an objective third-party estimate of casualties. The United Nations has relied on the figure from the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, which it says has been largely accurate, but which Israel criticizes as inflated.

But the new analysis suggests the Hamas health ministry tally is a significant undercount. The researchers concluded that the death toll from Israel’s aerial bombardment and military ground operation in Gaza between October 2023 and the end of June 2024 was about 64,300, rather than the 37,900 reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The estimate in the analysis corresponds to 2.9 percent of Gaza’s prewar population having been killed by traumatic injury, or one in 35 inhabitants. The analysis did not account for other war-related casualties such as deaths from malnutrition, water-borne illness or the breakdown of the health system as the conflict progressed.

The study found that 59 percent of the dead were women, children and people over the age of 65. It did not establish what share of the reported dead were combatants.

Mike Spagat, an expert on calculating casualties of war who was not involved in this research, said the new analysis convinced him that Gaza casualties were underestimated.

“This is a good piece of evidence that the real number is higher, probably substantially higher, than the Ministry of Health’s official numbers, higher than I had been thinking over the last few months,” said Dr. Spagat, who is a professor at Royal Holloway College at the University of London.

But the presentation of precise figures, such as a 41 percent underreported mortality, is less useful, he said, since the analysis actually shows the real total could be less than, or substantially more. “Quantitatively, it’s a lot more uncertain than I think comes out in the paper,” Dr. Spagat said.

The researchers said their estimate of 64,260 deaths from traumatic injury has a “confidence interval” between 55,298 and 78,525, which means the actual number of casualties is likely in that range.

If the estimated level of underreporting of deaths through June 2024 is extrapolated out to October 2024, the total Gazan casualty figure in the first year of the war would exceed 70,000.

“There is an importance to war injury deaths, because it speaks to the question of whether the campaign is proportional, whether it is, in fact, the case that sufficient provisions are made to to avoid civilian casualties,” said Francesco Checchi, an epidemiologist with an expertise in conflict and humanitarian crises and a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was an author on the study. “I do think memorializing is important. There is inherent value in just trying to come up with the right number.”

The analysis uses a statistical method called capture-recapture analysis, which has been used to estimate casualties in other conflicts, including civil wars in Colombia and Sudan.

For Gaza, the researchers drew on three lists: The first is a register maintained by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which mainly comprises the dead in hospital morgues and estimates of the number of unrecovered people buried in rubble. The second is deaths reported by family or community members through an online survey form the ministry established on Jan. 1, 2024, when the prewar death registration system had broken down. It asked Palestinians inside and outside Gaza to provide names, ages, national ID number and location of death for casualties. The third source was obituaries of people who died from injuries that were published on social media, which may not include all of the same biographical details and which the researchers compiled by hand.

The researchers analyzed these sources to look for individuals who appear on multiple lists of those killed. A high level of overlap would have suggested that few deaths were uncounted; the low amount they found suggested the opposite. The researchers used models to calculate the probability of each individual appearing on any of the three lists.

“Models enable us to actually estimate the number of people who have not been listed at all,” Dr. Checchi said. That, combined with the listed number, gave the analysts their total.

Patrick Ball, director of research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, and a statistician who has conducted similar estimates of violent deaths in conflicts in other regions, said the study was strong and well reasoned. But he cautioned that the authors may have underestimated the amount of uncertainty caused by the ongoing conflict.

The authors used different variations of mathematical models in their calculations, but Dr. Ball said that rather than presenting a single figure — 64,260 deaths — as the estimate, it may have been more appropriate to present the number of deaths as a range from 47,457 to 88,332 deaths, a span that encompasses all of the estimates produced by modeling the overlap among the three lists.

“It’s really hard to do this kind of thing in the middle of a conflict,” Dr. Ball said. “It takes time, and it takes access. I think you could say the range is larger, and that would be plausible.”

While Gaza had a strong death registration process before the war, it now has only limited function after the destruction of much of the health system. Deaths are uncounted when whole families are killed simultaneously, leaving no one to report, or when an unknown number of people die in the collapse of a large building; Gazans are increasingly buried near their homes without passing through a morgue, Dr. Checchi said.

The authors of the study acknowledged that some of those assumed dead may in fact be missing, most likely taken as prisoners in Israel.

Roni Caryn Rabin and Lauren Leatherby contributed reporting.

Health

Dementia risk for people 55 and older has doubled, new study finds

Published

14 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Dementia risk for people 55 and older has doubled, new study finds

Dementia cases in the U.S. are expected to double by 2060, with an estimated one million people diagnosed per year, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins University and other institutions.

Researchers found that Americans’ risk of developing dementia after age 55 is 42%, double the risk that has been identified in prior studies, a press release stated.

For those who reach 75 years of age, the lifetime risk exceeds 50%, the study found.

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Women face a 48% average risk and men have a 35% risk, with the discrepancy attributed to women living longer than men.

Dementia cases in the U.S. are expected to double by 2060, with an estimated one million people diagnosed per year. (iStock)

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine on Jan. 13, analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS), which has tracked the cognitive and vascular health of nearly 16,000 adults since 1987.

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“Our study results forecast a dramatic rise in the burden from dementia in the United States over the coming decades, with one in two Americans expected to experience cognitive difficulties after age 55,” said study senior investigator and epidemiologist Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, who serves as the founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, in the release.

Understanding risk factors

“One of the main reasons for the increase is that great medicine and tecnological advances are keeping us alive longer and age is a risk factor for dementia,” Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.

“Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”

In addition to aging, other risk factors include genetics, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, unhealthy diets of ultraprocessed foods, sedentary lifestyles and mental health disorders, the release said.

“We have an obesity epidemic with over 45% adults obese in the U.S.,” Siegel noted. “Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”

“And as an unhealthy population, we also have more heart disease, and atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for cognitive decline,” he added.

Dementia risk was found to be higher among people who have a variant of the APOE4 gene, which has been linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Black adults also have a higher risk.

virtual volumetric drawing of brain in hand

Researchers found that Americans’ risk of developing dementia after age 55 is 42%, double the risk that has been identified in prior studies. (iStock)

Research has shown that the same interventions used to prevent heart disease risk could also prevent or slow down dementia, the study suggested.

“The pending population boom in dementia cases poses significant challenges for health policymakers in particular, who must refocus their efforts on strategies to minimize the severity of dementia cases, as well as plans to provide more health care services for those with dementia,” said Coresh.

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What needs to change?

Professor Adrian Owen, PhD, neuroscientist and chief scientific officer at Creyos, a Canada-based company that specializes in cognitive assessment and brain health, referred to the increase in dementia cases as a “tidal wave.”

“This new study’s anticipated surge in dementia cases underscores the urgent need for early and accurate detection,” he told Fox News Digital.

“By catching issues early, we give people the power to make lifestyle adjustments, seek available treatments and plan their futures with clarity.”

“By identifying cognitive decline at its earliest stages, we have an opportunity to intervene before patients and families bear the full weight of the disease.”

Owen recommends conducting regular cognitive assessments as part of routine check-ups to proactively identify early signs of cognitive decline.

“By catching issues early, we give people the power to make lifestyle adjustments, seek available treatments and plan their futures with clarity,” he said.

“By identifying cognitive decline at its earliest stages, we have an opportunity to intervene before patients and families bear the full weight of the disease.” (iStock)

Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer and medical affairs lead for the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, said there is an “urgent need” to address the global crisis of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

To help keep the aging brain healthy, the Alzheimer’s Association published its report 10 Healthy Habits for Your Brain. Some of the tips are listed below.

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– Participate in regular physical activity.

– Learn new things throughout your life and engage your brain.

– Get proper nutrition — prioritize vegetables and leaner meats/proteins, along with foods that are less processed and lower in fat.

– Avoid head injury (protect your head).

– Have a healthy heart and cardiovascular system — control blood pressure, avoid diabetes or treat it if you have it, manage your weight and don’t smoke.