SC flu deaths now up to 7

The Department will hold two free flu clinics during the month of December and both will be held at the Cumberland County Health Department on 309 Buck Street in Millville.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Department of Health has announced the first flu-related deaths of the 2015-16 season.

Flu is much worse than a bad cold and can make even healthy people very unwell.

Symptoms of the flu can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

The Office of Public Health Nursing is offering flu shots throughout December, from 2-4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The best way to protect against the flu is to receive a flu vaccination. Getting vaccinated now can help prevent illness if and when the flu does arrive in our community.

According to the latest flu activity report by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, one person died within the last week. Most of the settlements for injuries due to the flu shot were for Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a muscle disorder caused by damage to the nervous system. He said the hospitalized flu victims in the Milwaukee area are two middle-aged people and two people over the age of 65. And when winter is generally categorized as “snow” or “rain”, no precipitation often skews opinion of when flu season is in.

The federal agency said in this year’s flu season, people without flu vaccine could develop complications like bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and sinus.

Close to half of those who hadn’t been immunized or didn’t plan to get the vaccine said they didn’t believe it was necessary.

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine as the best prevention. Come on! Plus, concerns have been raised recently that those the vaccine becomes less effective when you get it every year.

Mayport is now providing annual influenza (flu) vaccine to service members, retirees and their families. When more people are vaccinated, it reduces the rate of flu in the entire population; therefore, less vulnerable people are exposed and infected.