Following large immunization campaigns, the United States has loosened its limitations on Covid. The number of Covid cases has therefore increased again in recent months, but it is still a minor proportion of previous increases during the earlier years. The most affected groups this time around, though, are seniors.

Given their old age and immunity, 76-year-old Linda Stewart is concerned about what Covid may do to her and her husband. In addition, the worry increases during a season when new respiratory infections appear. When three serious respiratory illnesses attack most people in a given season, it is known as a tripledemic in the scientific world.

Due to the increase in interstate travel that the Christmas season, which begins on Thanksgiving, has caused, the instances have increased. According to a recent count, the majority of hospital admissions this season are of elderly patients, and the numbers rise daily.

The average number of older adults admitted to hospitals with Covid-19 or other respiratory illnesses have increased by four times since October. In 2020, when the pandemic struck the US, the proportion of elderly patients treated in hospitals increased by a factor of three. This indicates that older persons are now more likely than they were during the pandemic’s height to seek medical attention.

Since the epidemic started, there have been unheard-of fluctuations in the number of elderly patients treated in hospitals, rising and falling. However, statistics reveal that hospitalization rates are continuously greater for those 65 years or older than for people in other age groups.

“Right now, we have an immunity wall built up against the Omicron family – between shots and prior infections and combinations thereof – that seems to be keeping younger folks in pretty good stead. But the immune systems of people of advanced age are not as strong,” explained Dr. Eric Topol from Scripps Research.

The latest wave also badly impacts immunocompromised younger individuals, which Topol refers to as the “senior wave” because of the rise in cases of impacted seniors. Topol claims that the latest Covid varieties are more resilient to the body’s natural defenses against the virus and speculates that Paxlovid may have contributed to the rise in the number of elderly persons who have become infected.

“It all points to waning immunity. If more seniors had their booster, the effect would be minimal,” he said.

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The necessity to give senior citizens boosters

To assist her in avoiding the worst consequences of the illness, Stewart claims to be using personal meds. She claims, however, that getting vaccinated and receiving booster injections soothes her and gives her confidence that she will be protected against the worst consequences of Covid-19.

“I’m paying attention to the fact that it’s picking up, so I’m a little bit more careful than I was, say, six weeks ago. With the pickup, I haven’t reverted to how I was handling it a couple of years ago, but I’m more aware of who I’m around and maybe wearing my mask a little bit more than I used to,” she said.

“That was the whole idea of being so proactive with all these vaccines. There was a very good chance that yeah, you might get sick, but you wouldn’t get as sick as someone who didn’t get all their shots and there was a really good chance you wouldn’t end up in the hospital. So that really gave me a sense of security in some ways that even if I did get it, it wouldn’t be really bad,” Stewart added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one-third of those 65 and older had updated booster injections, which is a worry for health experts.

“It’s very, very concerning. There’s a sizable number of people who actually got previous boosters who have not gotten this one, and I worry that there’s confusion, there’s misinformation. So to seniors – and to everyone – I say: if you have not been boosted, go get boosted,” said Dr. Preeti Malani from the University of Michigan Health.

“The truth is that, really, anyone can get this. But the older you are, the more likely you are to have severe symptoms, the more likely you are to be hospitalized, and the more likely you are to die,” Malani added.

According to experts, all age groups experience the same type of illness. The harshest effects of the viral infection, however, will be felt by elderly people. In the majority of cases, the virus is transmitted to the elderly by the younger population.

“Seniors are the most at risk, but we bring it to them. A thing unique to older adults is that many are grandparents, and many provide childcare for their grandchildren. So they sometimes get infected from their grandkids, who may also be going to school or daycare,” said Malani.

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Possibility of a community spread

According to a recent survey, nursing homes and other communal spaces are the locations for many occurrences of spread among older adults. Nursing homes are more susceptible to viruses and other viral infections as winter closes in.

“We all would have hoped we would have a vaccine that prevents transmission. Unfortunately, we don’t have a vaccine that does that, but it does reduce transmission, and it does reduce severe outcomes,” explained Janet Hamilton, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists executive director.

“But really, any individuals that come in contact with high-risk groups need to be the primary focus for getting vaccinated,” Hamilton added.

Photo Credit: WHO

Source: CNN

Lifestyle changes can prevent about a third of cancers – that’s back a million cancers in Europe every year. You might have thought that most people would be aware of the risks associated with lifestyle, but you’d be wrong. The latest study, published in the European Journal of Cancer, shows that many people are still unaware and lack knowledge about risk factors, despite vast amounts of money being spent on public health education campaigns by organizations.

A significant minority of the public does not appreciate the importance of known risk factors or have unfounded views on possible causes, such as the use of cell phones or the proximity of overhead power lines.

People need a clear picture of cancer risks so they can make an informed decision about how to protect their health. The goal of the public health strategy to reduce the burden of cancer is to encourage people to avoid or minimize the risks they face. This is undermined when there is confusion about those risks.

The study of 1,300 adults found many misunderstandings about risk factors. Using data collected from the 2016 Attitudes and Beliefs About Cancer UK Survey in 2016, we wanted to explore people’s understanding of the causes of cancer and whether certain groups are likely to have an inaccurate cancer risk.

Hypersensitivity to cancer risk factors

The results of our analysis have surprised us. Overall, the questions people asked about cancer risk factors were answered on-point. Few people had a limited understanding of the identified risk factors. Still, those with more knowledge also more often subscribed to fictitious causes, such as microwave ovens, radiations and electromagnetic frequencies.

We couldn’t research why this was happening, but it does suggest “hypersensitivity” to risk factors: people sensed dangers where they did not exist. This indicates that people are not filtering health messages that are spread through their social networks and media channels.

People were generally unable to identify risk factors supported by scientific evidence. Four in ten respondents were unaware that obesity is linked to an increased risk of cancer. A comparable percentage did not recognize the dangers of sunburn. And almost three in four respondents (71%) did not realize that having the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that affects wet skin and membranes and can be spread through sexual contact, is related to specific forms cancer, including cervical, oral and anal cancer.

Not a risk factor.

Not only were some people unaware of the identified risks, but others also had beliefs about the causes of cancer that are not supported by science. Nearly half of the respondents thought stress was a factor and a quarter blame cell phones. One in five feels that microwave use was a risk factor. The research raises questions about the source of information for humans.

The public is not keeping up.

Consistent with previous research, people who were white and spent longer in education were more likely to identify the actual causes of cancer. Younger and white people were more likely to believe in baseless cancer risks. The results support existing evidence that specific populations are likely to have a lower understanding of cancer risks. Targeting health messages in a way that is accessible and understandable to everyone in society is key to tackling communication inequalities.

This is important as science is developing an increasingly complex picture of the factors that contribute to cancer. As the field progresses, public knowledge is unlikely always to keep up, leaving important health promotion messages unattended.

As people get their news more and more through social media – sometimes from untrustworthy sources (so-called ‘fake news’) – it will be crucial to monitor the shifts in people’s beliefs about the causes of cancer and changes in their behaviour way of life. The results of the research can be used as a measure of public understanding of cancer risk factors against which to measure future changes.