{"id":892,"date":"2017-02-07T02:06:22","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T07:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892"},"modified":"2017-02-07T02:07:24","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T07:07:24","slug":"the-danger-of-flu-and-shingles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892","title":{"rendered":"The danger of flu and shingles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"flu_shot\"<\/a>Seniors must learn to protect themselves<\/h2>\n

By Joel Wittnebel\/Active Senior’s Digest<\/p>\n

As the winter months roll in, there may be something more than just the cold lurking around the corner.<\/p>\n

Flu season has officially begun for another year, and seniors who are looking at getting the flu shot to boost their immune system against the dangerous infection should also keep in mind that it\u2019s also a good time to get protected against shingles.<\/p>\n

During the 2015\/2016 flu season, which generally runs from November to March, more than 5,300 people in Canada were hospitalized with the infection. In seniors, due to an aging immune system, the flu can pack a much more powerful punch.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. David Williams, Ontario\u2019s chief medical officer for the Province of Ontario, the immune system ages just like any other part of the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs they age, the robustness of their immune system starts to wane,\u201d he says. \u201cThe older the person, the less vigorous it is to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help kickstart the body, the province recommends getting the flu shot, which can prime the immune system against the flu virus.<\/p>\n

And for this coming season, it could be more important than ever.<\/p>\n

Williams says the last two years have been relatively quiet in terms of the flu, but this year is shaping up to be different, and a new, more dangerous player has entered the game.<\/p>\n

The majority of cases in recent years have been of the H1N1 flu virus, something many seniors have an immune memory of. However, a predominance of the H3N2 strain could cause an added danger to the elderly.<\/p>\n

Unlike H1N1, the immune system seems to have a harder time remembering the H3N2 virus, therefore making it much harder to combat with a weakened system.<\/p>\n

\u201cH3N2 has always been a nastier one for seniors,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n

The flu can also pose further dangers for seniors after they\u2019ve even successfully fought off the infection.<\/p>\n

After being bed-ridden for a two to three week period, active seniors may get up when they\u2019re feeling better and try to continue to do the same things they did before the sickness. However, there is a serious problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this time of illness and bedriddenness, there is a substantial loss of muscle mass,\u201d Williams explains.<\/p>\n

This loss of strength can either lead to falls or serious strain leading to heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n

To protect themselves, seniors can get the flu vaccine free of charge from pharmacies, public health units or your healthcare provider.<\/p>\n

At the same time, seniors should ask about the shingles vaccine, which is currently free of charge for those ages between 65 and 70. Ontario is the first jurisdiction to offer this vaccine at no cost.<\/p>\n

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox and can lead to painful skin rashes and debilitating nerve pain that can cause permanent damage.<\/p>\n

In the same manner of the flu, with an\u00a0 older immune system, seniors are once again more vulnerable to this infection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seniors must learn to protect themselves By Joel Wittnebel\/Active Senior’s Digest As the winter months roll in, there may be something more than just the […] Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe danger of flu and shingles - Active Senior's Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The danger of flu and shingles - Active Senior's Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Seniors must learn to protect themselves By Joel Wittnebel\/Active Senior’s Digest As the winter months roll in, there may be something more than just the […] Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Active Senior's Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-07T07:06:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-02-07T07:07:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/flu_shot.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"active\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/\",\"name\":\"Active Senior's Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/flu_shot.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/flu_shot.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":666},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=892\",\"name\":\"The danger of flu and shingles - 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