Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/207831
Sarasota News Leader November 8, 2013 Page 74 CONA MEETING TO FOCUS ON URBAN SERVICE, URBAN REALITIES The Monday, Nov. 11, meeting of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) will feature a discussion of Urban Services, Urban Realities, in the context of Sarasota 2050, the organization has announced. Improvement District board member Eileen Hampshire — along with David Brain, New College professor of urban sociology, planning and design, a news release says. The CONA session will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a meeting and greeting of neighbors, followed by the program at 7 p.m. The organization holds its gatherings at the Sarasota Garden Club, located at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, near the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. President Lourdes Ramirez and Vice President Cathy Antunes will make a presentation on the Sarasota County Commission efforts under way to modify the 2050 Plan. Then, a panel discussion on the subject will feature downtown Sarasota advocates — includ- For more information, visit www.conasaraing entrepreneur Jesse Biter and Downtown sota.org. OLDER ADULTS URGED TO GET SHINGLES VACCINE Even as health officials urge flu vaccinations, residents and seasonal visitors are also encouraged to get vaccinated against shingles, the county Health Department has announced. "Caused by the same virus associated with chickenpox, shingles is more common and serious in older adults," a news release says. Health officials estimate that one in three people in the United States will develop shingles during his or her lifetime, the release adds. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shingles most commonly occurs in people age 50 or older, people who have medical conditions that keep their immune systems from working properly and people who receive immunosuppressive drugs. complications of shingles include eye problems and, less often, pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness and brain swelling (encephalitis), the release continues. In rare instances, shingles also can lead to death. "After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant state," said Dr. William Heymann, medical executive director of the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County, in the release. "For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate many years later, causing shingles." He added, "The likelihood of getting shingles or experiencing severe and lasting complications is greatly reduced in those who get the shingles vaccine. Shingles vaccine is only needed once. You can get shingles more than once, so it is advisable to get the vaccine even "For some, the blistering skin rash can lead if you have had the disease. Those who have to severe pain that can last for months or been vaccinated and then later get shingles even years," the release points out. Other usually have a much milder experience."