influenza

Influenza Vaccine

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged health promotion influenza prevention Tarawera Medical Centre on by

The annual Influenza vaccine is now available. Drop in as soon as convenient to avoid a last minute rush.

It is free to those over 65 and patients under 65 with certain medical conditions. Shingles vaccine is also funded for patients between 65 and 80 and can be given at the same visit.

Thie influenza vaccine may be contraindicated for patients on 4 specific anticancer treatments so please advise the staff if taking any of the following from an Oncologist;

  • atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®),
  • ipilimumab (YERVOY®),
  • nivolumab (OPDIVO®)
  • pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®)

 

Winter illnesses

This entry was posted in Health promotion and tagged colds flu health promotion immunisation influenza Tarawera Medical Centre winter on by

The winter season is well and truly upon us with this cold snap and the past few weeks has seen a real run of colds and the first real cases of influenza for the year. Remember that most winter illnesses are caused by viruses and don’t benefit from, nor respond to, antibiotic treatment. Unnecessary use of antibiotics enables bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance so it is unwise to take an antibiotic “left over” from a previous course prescribed for you or someone else. The old fashioned advice of using Paracetamol to help fevers, aches and pains, along with some rest and plenty of fluids remains valid today. Lozenges, gargles and lemon drinks can all help soothe the symptoms while your immune system overcomes the infection. Covering your face when coughing or sneezing, using disposable tissues and washing hands can help limit the spread of infection. Morning walk-in clinics for our enrolled patients are running at full capacity so there can be a bit of a wait. Influenza is vaccine preventable and it’s not too late to have the vaccine which is free to over 65s and others with certain conditions.

This page from the NHS on Winter Illnesses has some interesting facts