Johns County doctors urging people to get flu shots early

The Rhode Island Department of Health has launched a statewide effort to provide flu vaccine in Rhode Island schools and communities.

“The single most effective way to prevent getting the flu is an annual flu shot“, said the IDPH Public Health Director Dr. Nirav Shah. “I would advise anyone to go out and get a flu shot”. If we all get vaccinated, and continue to do so year after year, the dreaded “Muhlenplague” may truthfully be a thing of the past.

And who should get a flu shot?

Last flu season was more severe than in recent years, with 11 pediatric deaths in Minnesota alone.

“Maybe this is the year you have to kind of grit your teeth and get a flu shot”, Schultz said. It’s the first of 36 free clinic DPH has planned between now and December throughout the state. Even healthy people can get very sick and even die from complications from the flu.

He said the 2014 program cost about $100 million with with million Ontarians vaccinated, yet the vaccine was of no net benefit because it was a poor match against the most active strain of influenza virus. For more information on FluMist Quadrivalent, including a fact sheet, access Manitoba’s Seasonal Influenza Immunization Program website at www.gov.mb.ca/health/flu/index.html.

According to the TDH, flu vaccines are widely available throughout the state and typically only take a few minutes to receive.

The signs are out and the vaccines are in, flu season is officially underway in northern Nevada. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it takes approximately two weeks after vaccination for protection to set in, so pharmacists are recommending guests be vaccinated as soon as possible.

People with flu can spread it to others up to about six feet away. “They picked the right strains for this year”.

“While the flu vaccine does not always protect us from getting influenza, research shows that receiving a flu vaccine each year can reduce the risk of hospitalizations, pneumonia and death”, said Michelle Farber, Riverwood infection preventionist. The earlier you get vaccinated against the flu, the better – regardless of how it’s delivered.

Flu vaccines, which include a nasal sprays, are available at the health department, as well as stores such as CVS, Harris Teeter, Publix, Walgreens and Walmart.