When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking

This article looks at the vaccines for children and it appears that work has already been started or is soon to start, but there is still, at least, one other area and this is for adults with learning disabilities (Intellectual Disabilities) and Autism who are needle averse, for in this area needle injections are not possible.

The adults are very vulnerable, but as I see it there is no work taking place in that direction.

With regards to Flu these adults can be given the nasal spray, which is generally given to children under 12 years, but it is not as effective as the injection, but something is better than nothing.

 

Source: When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking

Did researchers just discover a cure for the flu? – Big Think

• Researchers at Georgia State University and Emory University tweaked an old drug and found great results.
• None of the ferrets given EIDD-2801 twelve hours after infection developed the flu.
• Those given the drug a day later developed less severe symptoms than the control group or those receiving Tamiflu.

Disease is part of the price we pay as biological organisms. Contemplating how many diseases we have not eradicated can be daunting, though in reality, since the discovery of vaccination in the late eighteenth century and widespread acceptance of germ theory in the nineteenth, researchers have made great strides in medicine. Formerly deadly diseases are now behind us.

Not every illness is easy to overcome, however. Cancer, as Siddhartha Mukherjee writes in his opus on the topic, is an inherent part of our biology; whether or not those cells get turned on is the grim game of change every one of us faces. Optimize all we like, the possibility is always lurking.

A disease we often overlook in this conversation due to its ubiquity is one most everyone has fallen victim to once (or many times) in their lives: influenza. The flu killed a record number of Americans in 2017-18: 80,000 citizens died that year, according to the CDC.

Even in an average year, the agency states that between 12,000 and 79,000 people die. Yet many more are struck ill—somewhere around nine million up to 50 million. That’s nearly one-sixth of the population during especially bad seasons. Globally, over 600,000 people die every single year.

 

Source: Did researchers just discover a cure for the flu? – Big Think

Scientists may be getting closer to creating a universal flu vaccine : Medical News Today

We already have vaccines that prevent influenza, but there is a catch. Specialists have to keep creating vaccines that target specific flu strains if they want this preventive strategy to be effective. Can scientists create one flu vaccine to rule them all?

Scientists may be getting closer to creating a universal flu vaccine

Is a universal flu vaccine on the way?

Influenza — which people commonly refer to as “the flu” — is one of the most widespread illnesses worldwide.

Two virus strains — influenza virus strain A and strain B — are responsible for the flu. This disease has led to between 9.3 million and 49 million estimated cases of illness each year since 2010 in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As there are different viral strains, and each strain has many different subtypes, doctors must administer the correct vaccine each time. They need to use one that targets the specific strains and subtypes that are circulating in the population for this preventive approach to be successful.

So far, there has been no “universal vaccine” that can target all influenza viruses effectively. But are researchers getting closer to developing one?

 

Source: Scientists may be getting closer to creating a universal flu vaccine : Medical News Today

Why the flu shot cannot give you the flu (and why you should get one now) : The Conversation

Flu vaccination prevents millions of flu-related illnesses and deaths annually, but vaccination rates are low for many reasons.

During the 2018-2019 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 45% of U.S. adults received the flu vaccine. While this is an increase of 8% from 2017-2018, it falls way below the national goal of 70% of American adults receiving a flu shot.

One of the common myths that leads people to avoid the flu shot is that they think the shot will give them the flu. But that is simply not true. The virus in the vaccine is not active, and an inactive virus cannot transmit disease. What is true is that you may feel the effects of your body mounting an immune response, but that does not mean you have the flu.

I am a nursing professor with experience in public health promotion, and I hear this and other myths often. Here are the facts and the explanations behind them.

 

Source: Why the flu shot cannot give you the flu (and why you should get one now) : The Conversation

What’s wrong with those anti-vaxxers? They’re just like the rest of us : The Conversation

Whenever I talk about my research on how parents come to decide to reject vaccines for their children, my explanations are met with a range of reactions, but I almost always hear the same questions.

What is wrong with those parents? Are they anti-science? Are they anti-expert? Are they simply ignorant or selfish? Are they crazy?

The year is not half over, and the number of measles cases has now exceeded highs not seen since the U.S. was declared measles-free in 2000. Given the indisputably large role unvaccinated individuals are playing in it, parents who reject vaccines are increasingly vilified. Some people call to have these parents arrested or punished. Many are asking states to tighten laws that make exemptions to school enrollment without vaccines too easy.

Others dismiss these “Whole Foods moms” as harming others and call for them to be socially ostracized.

As a sociologist, I have spent most of a decade talking to parents, pediatricians, policymakers, lawyers and scientists to understand competing views of vaccines. In my research, I find that parents who reject vaccines – by which I mean mostly mothers – work hard to make what they see as an informed decision to do what they think is best for their children. They also want to make a decision that best aligns with their belief system.

Experts, at least of their own kids

Many “anti-vax” parents see themselves as experts on their own children, as best able to decide what their children need and whether their child needs a particular vaccine, and better qualified than health experts or public health agencies to decide what is best for their family.

 

Source: What’s wrong with those anti-vaxxers? They’re just like the rest of us : The Conversation

UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour | Society | The Guardian

Government is accused of failing to take threat seriously after vaccination targets missed and publicity spending cut

Source: UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour | Society | The Guardian

UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour | Society | The Guardian

Government is accused of failing to take threat seriously after vaccination targets missed and publicity spending cut

Source: UK at risk as more than 500,000 missing out on flu jab, says Labour | Society | The Guardian

Who should have the flu jab?

Original post from NHS Choices

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For most people, flu is an unpleasant illness, but it’s not serious. If you are otherwise healthy, you will usually recover from flu within a week.

However, certain people are more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These people are advised to have a flu jab each year.

People who should have a flu jab

The injected flu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to people who are at risk. This is to ensure they are protected against catching flu and developing serious complications.

You are eligible to receive a free flu jab if you:

• are 65 years of age or over
• are pregnant
• have certain medical conditions
• are very overweight
• are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
• receive a carer’s allowance, or you are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
• are a healthcare worker with direct patient contact, or a social care worker

Over-65s and the flu jab

You are eligible for the flu vaccine this year (2015-16) if you are aged 65 and over on March 31 2016 – that is, you were born on or before March 31 1951. So, if you are currently 64 but will be 65 on March 31 2016, you do qualify.

Pregnant women and the flu jab

If you’re pregnant, you’re advised to have the injectable flu vaccine, regardless of the stage of pregnancy you’ve reached.

That’s because there’s strong evidence to suggest pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu.

If you’re pregnant, you will benefit from the flu vaccine because:

• it reduces your chance of getting serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy
• it reduces your risk of having a miscarriage, or your baby being born prematurely or with a low birth weight because of the flu
• it will help protect your baby as they will continue to have some immunity to flu for the first few months of their life

It’s safe to have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy from conception onwards. The vaccine doesn’t carry any risks for you or your baby. Talk to your GP or midwife if you are unsure about the vaccination.

Read more about the flu jab in pregnancy.

Flu jab for people with medical conditions

The injected flu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to anyone with a serious long-term health condition. That includes these types of illnesses:

• chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma (which requires an inhaled or tablet steroid treatment, or has led to hospital admission in the past), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease ormotor neurone disease
• diabetes
• problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
• a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such asHIV and AIDS, or medication such as steroid tablets orchemotherapy

This list of conditions isn’t definitive. It’s always an issue of clinical judgement.

Your GP can assess you individually to take into account the risk of flu exacerbating any underlying illness you may have, as well as your risk of serious illness from flu itself.

The vaccine should always be offered in such cases, even if you are not technically in one of the risk groups above.

If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be advised to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about this.

Flu jab if you’re very overweight

The injected flu jab is recommended for anyone who is severely overweight with a body mass index (BMI) over 40.

Read more about BMI and how to check it.

Flu vaccine for children

The flu vaccine is recommended for:

• children over the age of six months with a long-term health condition
• healthy children aged two, three and four plus children in school years one and two.

Children aged between six months and two years of age who are eligible for the flu vaccine should have the flu jab.

Children eligible for the flu vaccine aged between two and 18 will usually have the flu vaccine nasal spray.

Read about who should have the children’s flu vaccine.

Flu jab for health and social care workers

Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings, and, because flu is so contagious, staff, patients and residents are all at risk of infection.

If you’re a front-line health and social care worker, you are eligible for an NHS flu jab to protect yourself, your colleagues and other members of the community.

It is your employer’s responsibility to arrange vaccination for you. So, if you are an NHS-employed front-line healthcare worker, the NHS will pay for your vaccination. If you are a social care worker, your employer – for example, your local authority – will pay for vaccination.

In the case of health and social care workers employed by private companies, those companies will arrange and pay for the vaccinations.

Public Health England has this advice on flu vaccination of health and social care workers (PDF, 131kb).

Flu jab for carers

If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, speak to your GP or pharmacist about having a flu jab along with the person you care for.

Read more about the flu jab for carers on the Carers UK website.   ……………’

A Common Household Cleaner Could Be Making Your Kids Sick

Original post from Take Part

‘………..Bleach is supposed to kill germs, but taking away microbes could make it easier to fall ill.

April 07, 2015 By Liz Dwyer

Staff Writer Liz Dwyer has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national publications. She was previously education editor at Good.

full bio

It’s used to wipe down the kitchen countertop and sanitize the bathroom sink and toilet—and go on and ask any parents you know what they cleaned with after Junior took off his diaper and wiped the contents all over his crib. But moms and dads who use bleach to kill germs might be doing more harm than good. A new study indicates that the bacteria-eliminating liquid could be making their kids more likely to get sick.

That’s the startling finding of a study from researchers at the Centre for Environment and Health in Belgium that has been published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. The researchers followed the bleach exposure of 9,100 kids between the ages of 6 and 12 in the Netherlands, Finland, and Spain who were exposed to the cleaning agent at least once a week—like when their parent was cleaning or when a school custodian was using it. The parents were then asked to respond to a survey indicating how often their child had been sick, and with what kind of illnesses, over the previous 12 months.

According to the survey’s results, the researchers found that a kid exposed to bleach was 20 percent more likely to come down with the flu and 35 percent more likely to be sick with tonsillitis than a child who didn’t have regular exposure to the chemical cleaner. Kids living in homes or attending schools where bleach was used were 18 percent more likely to have recurring infections than those who weren’t.

Because modern households are chock-full of chemical cleaners, the study’s authors wrote that they couldn’t create a direct cause-and-effect link between bleach use and illness. They believe, however, that the irritant properties of bleach may harm the lining of the lungs, making children—whose lungs are still developing—more likely to get sick. They also warn that a habit of sanitizing every surface with the substance could be dangerous.

“The high frequency of use of disinfecting cleaning products, caused by the erroneous belief, reinforced by advertising, that our homes should be free of microbes, makes the modest effects reported in our study of public health concern,” wrote the study’s authors in a statement.

So should you stop bleaching your kitchen countertop after you prepare that chicken dinner? The folks who make bleach say there’s nothing to worry about. “The authors [of the study] completely fail to acknowledge the benefits of household bleach when it is properly used for cleaning, disinfecting, and laundering,” the American Cleaning Institute, a cleaning product trade group, said in a statement. “Consumers can continue to rely on bleach products as they have for decades. The key, as always, is to use them safely, properly, and as directed.”

related stories on takepart

5 Simple Make-Your-Own Green Cleaners

 These Interviews Will Change How You Think of Bleach, the whitener that is saving lives

 Beauty and Its Beastly Secrets: The Toxic Truth About Cosmetics 

                                   

  5 Chemicals That Could Be Making You Fat

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Flu vaccination available for children & young people with learning disabilities in England

Flu vaccination available for children & young people with learning disabilities in England from  blog of Special Needs Jungle

An extract ‘As a registered carer, I recently qualified for a free flu jab at my GP surgery. This is really important for parent carers because even if you are struck down with flu, your disabled child still needs to be cared for just the same, as well as the regular things that are more difficult for everyone when they’re sick.  …………..’

I fully agree with this, I would recommend anyone who is eligible for the flu vaccination to take advantage of this opportunity.