Dangers of Flu and Seniors
The Dangers of Flu and Seniors
The dangers of the flu for seniors is something to be taken seriously. It’s a highly contagious disease that can be spread a day before any symptoms show up and for up to five days after a person becomes sick with it. This means that people may not even have any warning signs that a person that they have met has the flu if done so before the flu is symptomatic. Additionally, since the flu can be very dangerous for seniors, precautions need to be taken by seniors. So, what are the symptoms of the flu? The symptoms of the flu are many which include chills, fever; a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle aches and fatigue. In some cases, there’s vomiting, nausea and diarrhea also.
Other complications
One of complications of the flu is the possibility of developing bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia or walking pneumonia. General pneumonia symptoms for seniors to watch for are difficulty with breathing or shortness of breath, confusion, continual or abrupt vomiting, or abrupt dizziness. If a senior has these symptoms, medical attention should be sought immediately.
Bacterial pneumonia symptoms may include pain in the chest, shaking chills, a high fever, shortness of breath, sweating; and green or yellow phlegm. If it’s viral pneumonia, the symptoms may include headaches, fever, muscle pain and a dry cough without phlegm. Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia that has symptoms which are flu-like, but less severe than pneumonia of the other kinds. It is still medically dangerous though.
Preventative measures
Flu is spread by sneezing and coughing. The little “respiratory drops” are spread over nearby objects and even people. It also can be spread by people who have the flu touching things such as telephones, door knobs, keyboards or even light switches after touching their mouths or noses. So, washing hands constantly and not touching a person’s own face with unwashed hands is one of the ways to prevent the flu germs from entering the body’s ports which are the mouth, nose, ears and eyes. Good hygiene will go far in stopping the spread of the flu.
Staying away from people who are sick is another way to prevent getting the flu. Especially sick people in cars and small spaces which are enclosed should be avoided. Confined spaces breed germs and the risk of exposure is greater.
Also, getting a flu shot can help to prevent a senior from getting the flu even if it’s only 70 to 90 percent effective. So, there’s a chance that a senior may still get the flu even with a flu shot. However, the flu shot still may reduce the severity of the symptoms. Getting a new flu shot every year is additionally important because the flu strain is constantly changing. So last year’s flu shot won’t protect people from this year’s flu outbreak. Furthermore, getting the flu shot early in the flu season is beneficial for flu prevention. However, if it’s gotten too early then the immunity derived from it to the flu may be gone before the flu season ends. This is important to know because sometimes the flu season will extend into March or April instead of ending in February.
Importantly, by building up senior immune systems by them getting more rest, eating healthy diets, taking vitamins, drinking lots of fluids and helping to manage stress levels can help prevent them from getting the flu.
To close, it’s necessary for seniors who get the flu to follow doctor’s orders for a complete and total recovery.