A woman who had lymphoma 11 years ago with complications including fluid in her lungs said she had had pneumonia twice within the last year. Fourteen years after having radiotherapy for penile cancer , a man still suffers with infections on his penis. A woman who had a colostomy for bowel cancer 16 years ago had occasional gut infections but irrigates her stoma regularly to reduce the likelihood of infection and to get rid of infections quickly when they occur.
Some people said that an infection they had contracted after their cancer treatment had made them more ill or had a greater impact on them than the cancer and its treatment. He returned to full-time work 18 months after his lymphoma treatment but then developed shingles Three years after having ovarian cancer she developed a rare type of meningitis and was It really took my body apart.
I was in hospital for 5 months with the meningitis. It took several weeks for them to actually decide that it was a type of meningitis, because it was a very rare form of meningitis. But once it was diagnosed I was put on to a…, well they described it as a low-grade chemotherapy, which was pumped into my body via my blood supply and it went throughout the whole body. Within 5 days it was back, the meningitis, which was a fungal type of meningitis, was back.
And so we had to go through the whole procedure again and my body was very much weakened. And it worked that time. It was a physically hard disease, that was, compared with the cancer, which was an emotional, I just see them as two very separate types of disease. In people who are vulnerable to infection due to a weakened immune system it is important to take steps to avoid contracting an infection, and to seek treatment quickly as soon as they suspect they are infected. All linked websites are linked 'as is' and the Government of South Australia: does not sponsor, endorse or necessarily approve of any material on websites linked from or to this Site; does not make any warranties or representations regarding the quality, accuracy, merchantability or fitness for purpose of any material on websites linked from or to this Site; does not make any warranties or representations that material on other websites to which this site is linked does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any person anywhere in the world; and does not authorise the infringement of any intellectual property rights contained in material in other websites by linking this site to those other websites.
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Speak to your local GP about how other illnesses can affect your health, and develop an action plan if you get sick. Understand what may trigger your symptoms and what options you have, to get the right care, at the right time.
Seek early GP review and assessment if you are unwell or your health is worsening. The flu vaccine is available for free to people six months of age or older with the following underlying chronic medical conditions: cardiac disease chronic respiratory conditions including severe asthma other chronic illnesses requiring regular medical follow up or hospitalisation in the previous year, for example diabetes, chronic renal kidney failure, chronic metabolic disease and haemoglobinopathies chronic neurological conditions that may impact on respiratory function including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders and other neuromuscular disorders people with impaired immunity, including HIV infection, malignancy and chronic steroid use children on long term aspirin therapy.
People Over 65 People aged 65 years and older are far more likely than any other age group to die from the flu. Children Under 5 The National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC advises that infants and children younger than five years of age, and especially those under three years of age, are more likely to get severe flu infections that require hospitalisation than older children, and sometimes these can be fatal.
Pregnant Women Pregnancy increases the risk of developing serious complications from the flu. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders The flu vaccine is highly recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders due to the increased risk of disease in the population. Related information You can search through to find related information.
Services Documents Links. Hand washing should last for at least 20 seconds and include scrubbing the back of the hands, the spaces between fingers, and underneath the fingernails. The COVID virus can easily enter the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth, especially when in a public area, making it all the more important for high-risk people not to touch their faces.
If necessary, they first need to ensure their hands have been thoroughly disinfected and use a clean tissue to touch the specific area. Handrails, door handles, elevator buttons, and the like are understandably filled with germs and bacteria—even those causing COVID If a loved one or companion cannot handle these surfaces on their behalf, it is recommended to cover the area with a tissue before touching.
Doorknobs, tabletops, faucet handles, telephones and cellphones are just some of the living and working spaces that can carry the virus. Regularly disinfecting with alcohol, bleach, and other disinfection substances lessens the potential exposure to COVID People, especially ones working or living with high-risk individuals, should be extra cautious. Covering the nose and mouth with a clean tissue or the inside of the elbow when sneezing or coughing prevents these droplets from completely entering the public space and increasing the spread of infection.
Symptoms of infection in healthy patients include fever, chills, and inflammation. Many of these symptoms are related to our immune system response, so if that is weakened, the symptoms may not be present and therefore we aren't alerted to the underlying infection. Often, the key symptom of infection in an older patient is mental confusion, a condition that can often be mistaken for dementia or lumped in with "typical" elderly behavior and therefore cause an infection to be overlooked.
Once a diagnosis is made and a treatment initiated, an older patient may respond differently than expected. Because of compromised organs that process medicine liver and kidneys , some patients may respond slower, while others may even have a toxic response to a medicine. Any invasive diagnostic procedures may result in complications as well, and longer healing time. Perhaps most heartbreaking, an older patient is far less likely to report symptoms such as confusion, pain, or discomfort.
In one study , researchers found that older patients do not report symptoms out of fear of losing independence, becoming a burden to others, or not being believed. The study goes on to provide helpful approaches to enabling an older patient to safely report symptoms in a way that is both medically helpful and psychologically comfortable.
This particular vulnerability requires both a gentle response as well as consistent supervision. Within this uniquely vulnerable subset of patients, a need for innovative technologies and protocols will be necessary to bring down alarmingly high and rising infection rates in nursing homes.
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