SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 | 7A
VACCINATE from page 1A
Comparatively, flu symp-
toms can be much worse,
including fever, cough, sore
throat, runny or stuffy nose,
body aches, headache, chills,
fatigue, diarrhea and vomit-
ing.
Traditional flu vaccines, or
“trivalent vaccines,” protect
against three strains of in-
fluenza. The vast majority of
doses available for the 2018-
2019 season will be “quadriva-
lent vaccines,” which protect
against the same viruses as the
trivalent vaccine and an addi-
tional B virus.
For those with an aversion
needles, vaccination in nasal
spray form is also returning
as a recommended option this
year after a two-season hiatus.
The spray, FluMist, is quad-
rivalent and was re-approved
this year by the CDC’s Advi-
sory Committee on Immuni-
zation Practices for non-preg-
nant individuals aged two
through 49.
Age and health may deter-
mine which vaccine is appro-
priate. Particularly, individu-
als who have egg allergies or
have ever suffered from Guil-
lain-Barré Syndrome (a severe
paralyzing illness, also called
GBS) should talk to a doctor
before getting a vaccine.
Flu vaccines are generally
reported to be between 60 and
80 percent effective, though
Davis stressed that falling
short of 100 percent effective-
ness should not dissuade the
public from getting vaccina-
tions.
“You’ll hear people often
use this excuse not to get im-
munized — they don’t believe
the immunization works be-
cause they got the immuniza-
tion and then got the flu,” he
said.
Even in these cases, vacci-
nated individuals will see a
decrease in illness severity and
lower the chances of spreading
the virus.
“Usually it’s not nearly bad
as it would have been had
you not gotten the immuniza-
tion,” Davis said, “so it actual-
ly lessens the impact on your
body.”
Widespread immunization
is also regarded as an effec-
tive way to disrupt the chain
of infection. Herd immunity,
a form of infectious disease
resistance which is enabled by
a high proportion of immune
individuals in a population,
slows the spread of disease
and helps prevent infection of
those who may be at greater
risk for flu-related complica-
tions.
The proportion needed for
effective herd immunity varies
by disease.
“With flu, it’s only 50 per-
cent of the community that
needs to be immunized and
we’ve never been close to 50
percent (in Lane County),”
said Davis. “Our highest is
around 33 percent.”
Reaching that 50 percent
mark could prevent large-
scale outbreaks like the one
seen in Florence two years
ago, Davis added.
Lane County immuniza-
tion numbers are reflective
of an overall Oregon trend,
which has placed the state
among the lowest flu vaccina-
tion rates in the country for
at least 17 years, according to
CDC data.
Flu vaccines are offered in
most doctor’s offices, clinics,
health departments and phar-
macies.
Because the virus can be
spread through direct contact
and airborne particles, health
authorities recommend other
preventive measures on top of
getting the vaccine. Washing
hands with soap and water,
covering the mouth when
coughing and sneezing and
staying home from school or
work when symptoms devel-
op can all help diminish in-
fluenza’s effects.
For more information, visit
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention at www.cdc.
gov.
Florence Food Share provides food to those who
are hungry in our community. If you have four
hours a week available, we are in need of vol-
unteers to staff our Front Desk and also act as
Guides as clients walk through the pantry. Please
call our volunteer coordinator, Sarah Lovejoy,
@ 541-997-9110 (Monday – Friday, before noon)
to learn more about volunteering. info@lorence-
foodshare.org 2190 Spruce Street.
Volunteer
Get
involved
Florence Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a place to put your talents to work.
From customer service to furniture repair, we offer volunteer opportunities geared toward
individual interests and skills.By giving your time, you help Florence Habitat ReStore do
more to support building projects that benefi t families in our community.
2016 Hwy 101 or email volunteer@fl orencehabitat.org
Store hours 9am – 5pm Monday- Saturday 541-997-5834
www.facebook.com/restorefl orence
Donate
PLASTIC from page 1A
Coastal communities, like
Florence, are especially vulner-
able to plastic bag pollution be-
cause of the likelihood of some
of those bags ending up in the
Pacific Ocean and the Siuslaw
River. Plastic waste, but espe-
cially single-use plastic bags,
work their way through the
food chain in the ocean as many
sea creatures misidentify plastic
as food.
Birds, fish and crustaceans
then eat the bits and pieces of
the different types of plastic that
are deteriorating in waterways,
with some dying as a direct re-
sult.
The City of Florence Envi-
ronmental Management Ad-
visory Committee (EMAC) is
contemplating a recommenda-
tion that would codify a ban on
single-use carryout plastic bags.
To assist in these deliberations,
the city is asking for input from
residents on the issue by offer-
ing a survey online that asks five
questions related to plastic bag
usage.
EMAC Chairwoman Mau-
reen Miltenberger said she feels
the time has come to consider
the possibility of eliminating
single-use plastic carry-out bags
in Florence.
“If each one of us thought
about where those bags would
end up and the long-term im-
pact each bag can have on
streams, our ocean, storm
drains, wildlife and our overall
environment, then taking the
small action to purchase an in-
expensive bag to use over and
over again becomes one of the
logical actions we can take,”
Miltenberger said.
EMAC’s survey asks consum-
ers about their shopping habits,
preferences regarding bags and
their willingness to support a
ban on single-use bags. It also
asks local business owners if
they would support a ban and
why or why not.
Florence Planning Director
Wendy FarleyCampbell coordi-
nates the work done by EMAC,
which advises the city council
and planning commission. She
wants to encourage residents to
take the survey to provide guid-
ance as the city deliberates the
issue.
“The plastic bags under con-
sideration are the type used
in grocery stores at checkout.
It would not include produce
bags, trash bags or paper bags,”
FarleyCampbell said.
In Oregon, major popula-
tion centers like Eugene, Salem,
Bend and Portland have passed
regulations restricting the use of
plastic bags.
Miltenberger believes that
the recent action taken by the
city to ban, over time, the use
of styrofoam takeout containers
provides a model that indicates
residents may be ready to take
another step in the direction of
eliminating unnecessary waste
from our landfills and water-
ways.
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Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
We are looking for
new volunteers to join
Friends of Florence Van Fans !
Please join us at a meeting!
these local
non-proft
Meet 1st Wednesday of every month
Luncheon Meeting ($8.50)
Shorewood Senior Living
1451 Spruce St
541-991-3209 or sgelmstedt@gmail.com
organizations in
our community!
Join the Peace Harbor Hospital Volunteers.
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in a caring organization.
Peace Harbor
Volunteers
Buying or Selling? I can help.
Price Reduction
400 9th Street, Florence, OR 97439
541-997-8412 ext. 2218
Volunteer
Get
involved
Meals on Wheels are available to people over the
age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness
or advanced age and who are not eating properly,
regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those
who prefer to make new friends in a dining room
setting.
1570 Kingwood • PO Box 2313, Florence
541-997-5673
laneseniormeals.org
89510 Hwy 101 #15 – Cute as a bug’s ear! This
1991, 2 bdrm, 1 bath mobile only has an addi-
tional 10x10 enclosed porch with a doggie door.
All appliances are included with a new shower/
sink, and 2016 refrigerator. Buck Lake is stocked
with fi sh, so bring your pole and tackle! $55,000.
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Melody Beaudro
Principal Broker
541 991-2151
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
Operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Donate
Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
these local
Saving men one
PSA test at a time.
541-997-6626
maribob@oregonfast.net
Someone to talk to...
who understands!
non-proft
organizations in
our community!
To include your
organization
in this directory,
please call us
@ 541-997-3441
See Jim for your auto sales needs!
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
“We recently took the action
to ban polystyrene, and during
that process found that most
businesses and customers were
willing to do whatever it takes
to help keep our rivers and land
free of a substance that will take
500 years to forever to break
down. In researching the life
of plastic bags, we found the
same to be true,” Miltenberger
said. “We are asking shoppers
to consider making a one-time
purchase of bags that can be
used over and over again, and
for stores to provide those bags.
That does not seem dramatic to
me. What does seem dramatic is
the long-term effect that plastics
have on our environment and
what our world will be like for
coming generations if we don’t
take some kind of action now.”
There are other smaller mu-
nicipalities, similar in size to
Florence, that have instituted a
complete ban or a surcharge on
the single-use plastic bag. These
smaller towns include Corvallis,
Tigard, Lake Oswego, Beaver-
ton and Ashland.
Nationally, California, Wash-
ington D.C., Seattle and Boston
have adopted single-use plastic
bag bans or fee plans. Interna-
tionally, the United Kingdom,
China, Australia, Chile and
Kenya have instituted either an
outright ban or a fee for using a
single-use plastic bag.
The Chinese government
recently reported that plastic
waste from single-use plastic
bags has decreased by almost 70
percent since the introduction
of the ban.
The City’s EMAC survey will
be open at ci.florence.or.us until
Nov. 1.
Spirituali-Tea
to discuss
equality of
men, women
Anyone interested in dis-
cussing diverse spiritual ideas
in an atmosphere of respect
and inquisitiveness is invit-
ed to join a group that meets
Monday evenings at 875 Sev-
enth St., beginning at 6:30
p.m.
This Monday’s meeting will
discuss the equality of men
and women.
The equality of men and
women is a fundamen-
tal Bahá'í principle, that is
explicit in the writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of
the Bahá'í Faith. In the Bahá'í
view, women have always
been equal to men, and the
reason why women have so
far not achieved this equality
is due to the lack of adequate
educational and social op-
portunities, and because men
have used their greater physi-
cal strength to prevent wom-
en from developing their true
potential.
All thoughts and perspec-
tives will be important to the
group, so come prepared to
share.
At the end of the gathering,
prayer requests that have been
left in the Prayer Pole in the
garden of the Florence Play-
house, 208 Laurel St., will be
read aloud.
Volunteer
for Friends
of Florence
The nonprofit Friends
of Florence, which pro-
vides free bus transporta-
tion for cancer patients, is
seeking volunteer drivers.
A commercial driver’s
license is not required.
For more info, call 541-
997-8663.
Since the first trip to
Eugene back in 1985, the
Friends of Florence pro-
gram has transported well
over 30,000 patients, log-
ging more than 1.3 mil-
lion miles.