December 2019 - Page 2 of 2

Early Signs of The Flu

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Xavia Malcolm

Flu season peaks between December and February. As flu activity increases, so will your chances of getting sick.

If you do get the flu, knowing the early signs and symptoms can help you to treat the illness before it becomes severe. This can also help you to prevent spreading the virus to others.

Here are a few early signs and symptoms of the flu you should pay attention to:

Body aches and chills
Sudden fever
Weakness
Loss of appetite
Sore, scratchy throat
Excessive fatigue
Dry cough

Symptoms of the flu will get worse over time if treatment is not received in a timely manner. Therefore, it is recommended that you see your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor may recommend that you get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. Antiviral medications may also be prescribed in severe cases to fight the virus.

It is important to keep in mind that the best defense against the flu is vaccination. The flu vaccine can reduce your risk of getting the flu virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age and older should get vaccinated.

To schedule an appointment with a doctor at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-670-5486.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Do You Have Trouble Identifying Colors? You Might Be Color Blind!

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Flushing Hospital

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet – the colors of the rainbow; most of us can identify and distinguish each of these colors from the rest, but for those who are color blind, telling these colors apart is not so easy.

As much as 8% of men are color blind, (compared to only 0.5 % of women). Why are men so much more prone to color blindness? Well, the reason for colorblindness is a dysfunction in the x chromosome. Men only have one X chromosome, but women have two – and all someone needs is one working x chromosome to compensate for the loss of function of the other.

Being color blind doesn’t really mean that a person can’t see color though. Complete color blindness is actually very rare. What is much more common is a visionary deficiency, which means a person isn’t aware of the differences among colors. Some deficiencies are profound while others are mild. In fact, some people who don’t have a severe form of color blindness are not even aware they have the condition.

The most common type of color blindness is an inability to distinguish between red and green. While there is no cure for color blindness, those who are red-green colorblind can actually use a special set of lenses to help them perceive colors more accurately. There are even apps now available on smartphones to help people differentiate colors.

While some people go their entire lives unaware they are color blind, most are diagnosed as children. This is because educational material is often color-coded, so when a child has trouble processing information, color blindness can be identified as the reason.

Eye care professionals can use a variety of tests to diagnose color blindness. The most common tests use a series of colored circles with overlapping color shapes inside of them. These shapes are easily identifiable to people who have normal color vision but are difficult to see for people who are color blind.

To have yourself, or your child tested for color blindness, please consult with your primary care doctor or ophthalmologist.

World AIDS Day

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Andrew Rubin

World AIDS Day has been recognized on December 1^st every year since 1998. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated it as one of the eight official global public health campaigns.

The focus of World AIDS Day is to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the HIV infection.

Although the campaign extends throughout the year, World AIDS Day is the day when many events take place throughout the world to bring attention to this serious disease. The observance is recognized with educational programs on AIDS prevention and control.

In recognition of World AIDS Day Flushing Hospital Medical Center is sharing the following facts:

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) affects the body’s immune system. If not treated properly, HIV can develop into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
It has been estimated that 1.2 million people in the United States and 36.7 million people worldwide are presently living with HIV. In the United States, one out of eight does not know that they are infected.
The virus is either transmitted when certain bodily fluids come in contact with a mucous membrane within the body or a cut in the skin or through the sharing of needles and syringes of people who are infected.
HIV can only be transmitted by way of blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids or breast milk.
HIV virus is not spread by water or air, mosquitoes, ticks or other insects, saliva, tears, sweat, sharing a toilet seat or by simple person -to- person touching.
There is no cure for HIV but there are ways to slow down its progression.

If you would like to speak to a physician about HIV and AIDS, or if you would like to be tested, you may schedule an appointment at Flushing Hospital at 718-670-5486.