Schedule NOW!

Light lavender flowers on mint - an ingredient in some herbal teas.

This is a little out of the gardening field but if a gardener isn't healthy, then it's difficult if not impossible to garden.

The Henry & Stark County Health Department (and I'm sure other county health departments) is now scheduling flu and pneumonia vaccinations. Medicare Part-B and many insurances cover the $25. Look in the telephone book in the blue government pages, under county government for the number to call.

Tens of thousands of us die every year from complications of the flu or pneumonia – indeed the combined death toll is ranked as America’s eighth leading cause of death.

Here’s who should get a flu shot, each year (the strain of flu is different each year, so you need a yearly shot):
Young people, from age 6 months to 19 years old, and older people, those 50 and up.
Pregnant women.
People with chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma or other lung diseases.
Those who have weakened immune systems.
Those who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, even though the shots do not provide as much protection for those over the age of 65.
Child care or other health care workers.

But some should not get shots. They include those who have had allergic reactions to the shots, people who are allergic to eggs, people who have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome in the past, and those who have a fever.

Pneumonia shots are also recommended although there are many types of pneumonia, and the vaccine does not reduce the risk of all of them. Half of pneumonia cases are viral, and tend to be less serious than the bacterial type. Up to 7 percent of the victims of bacterial pneumonia die each year. The pneumonia vaccine protects against 23 types of bacterial pneumonia.

Henry & Stark County Health Department Schedule:
Sept 27: 1-2 pm - Church of Nazarene, RR 2, Wyoming IL
Oct 4: 9-10 am - State Bank of Toulon, 102 W. Main St., Toulon IL
Oct 12: 1-2 pm - Carmody Center, First Street, Bradford IL
Sept. 23: 9-11 am - National Guard Armory, 111 N. East St., Kewanee
Sept. 30: 9-11 am - Union Federal S&L, 104 N. Tremont, Kewanee
Oct. 16: 10-12 noon - Health Dept., Rt. 78 South, Kewanee

Shots may be obtained from many health care providers (some provide free for their patients), some places of employment and several local pharmacies.

Myth Buster: You can not get the flu from the shots.

Helpful Hint: If you immediately start to exercise the arm where you received your shot and do so for several minutes, it usually totally eliminates any pain and swelling.