| Falling
leaves and dropping temperatures in late October annually display
the solid-footed return of autumn to Kentucky.
But the season brings back not only colorful foliage and crisp
chilly air to the Bluegrass State, it also ushers in something
much more dreaded— the return of red-hot fevers, stuffed-up
chests and mind-splitting muscle aches, all associated with influenza.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control,
between 5 and 20 percent of Americans will get the flu this season.
Hospitals treat more than 200,000 people annually for flu complications,
and about 36,000 people die each year as a result of influenza.
Numerous health officials across the country recommend the vaccination
for those most at risk to suffer from flu symptoms, and hundreds
heeded that advice last week in Owen County.
Many local residents paid a visit to Owen County High School Friday,
trying to opt out of being a victim of this year’s flu season.
The Three Rivers District Health Department sponsored a vaccination
clinic at OCHS, where staff members distributed more than 260
flu shots.
“I get it every year and I’ve never had the flu,”
said Jeff Florek, home health manager for Three Rivers. He was
among those vaccinated at Friday’s clinic.
In addition to stations where nurses offered a needle prick to
ward off flu germs, areas were set up to monitor blood pressure,
to show videos about the vaccination and to serve refreshments
afterward.
The clinic educated people and aimed to help them avoid the flu.
And one of the most common ways of doing that is by getting the
shot, staff members at Three Rivers said.
“It gives them protection,” said Ruth Kingkade, a
nurse with Three Rivers.
Other local health providers plan to offer similar flu-shot opportunities
to the public in coming weeks.
North Park Pharmacy will give shots to people age 18 and over
by appointment on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
Vaccinations at North Park cost $30. Medicare and Medicaid recipients
can bill their respective government health programs for the shots.
North Park pharmacist Matthew Cull said flu vaccines are in abundance
nationwide this year, unlike previous years when the CDC restricted
the shots. Americans will have access to as many as 115 million
doses of the vaccine this season.
“If you want a flu shot, you’re pretty much going
to be able to get one this year,” Cull said. “While
in the past, we had to limit them to people who were high risk.”
Three Rivers will continue offering the vaccine at its health
centers throughout flu season. It costs $22 and can be billed
to Medicare or Medicaid.
Despite the millions who get the vaccines and the many doctors
and nurses who recommend them, not all health officials in Owen
County believe the flu shot is the best method to avoid getting
sick this winter.
Pharmacist Todd Toole, owner of Morgan & Thomas Pharmacy,
specializes in clinical nutrition and takes a different approach
to preventing influenza.
He said he has concerns about mercury levels and other chemicals
present in the vaccine, as well as the possibility of getting
sick from the shot.
Toole’s pharmacy offers alternate preventive measures that
can help the human anatomy avoid being succumbed with sickness.
One of the products, Monolaurin, strengthens the immune system,
Toole said. At a cost of $18.95, it can help the body fight off
viruses.
L-Lycine, another product, is an amino acid that makes it tougher
for viruses to replicate. It costs under $4 at Morgan & Thomas.
“And the basic stand-bys,” Toole said, can help people
avoid being bedridden by influenza, “high doses of vitamin
C as an anti-viral.”
Prices on vitamin C vary, Toole said, depending on dosage. Costs
range from $5 for basic varieties to $20 for low-acidity variations
that are easier to digest.
“People need 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams a day if they think
they’ve been exposed to flu germs,” Toole said, adding
that the vitamin’s antioxidants can help lower cancer risks
and minimize the effects of aging.
Toole recommends a daily dose of about 2,000 milligrams for adults
or 1,000 milligrams for children.
Whether you get the shot or not, there are other steps within
the daily routine that can cut down on the amount of germs being
spread from person to person.
Denise Bingham, nurse manager at Three Rivers, recommends the
vaccine for all persons over 6 months of age, but she also offered
some other recommendations.
Bingham said people covering their mouths when coughing and regularly
washing their hands should have a lower risk of getting sick this
season.
“The biggest thing they can do to prevent the flu is hygiene,”
she said.
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