State to host flu shot clinic on Friday

“The earlier people get vaccinated, the longer their protection against the flu is, and if all the purchased vaccines are administered, general immunity would be boosted, which is a good thing”, Chuang said.

People can still get vaccinations through sources such as family doctors and pharmacies, Hoyano said.

Flu is highly infectious and caused by viruses that spread from person to person. However, you may not realize that each flu season, flu also causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands or sometimes tens of thousands of deaths.

This year’s flu strains include H1N1 A and a new subtype known as H3N2.

4 through 10, reminds us of the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine.

Walgreens, including its Southborough location on Route 9 is running a “Get A Shot”. This year’s vaccine contains the strains now circulating, which makes it a good match and the vaccine supply is also good this year, with more than 131 million doses available.

Public Health Wales are warning people about the dangers of flu with the message “Beat flu before it beats you!”

It also can be risky, especially for people at high risk for complications-including children younger than the age of 5, adults older than the age of 65, pregnant women and people living with chronic medical conditions.

Yet, less than half of the people in the US report getting vaccinated; not enough to provide “herd immunity” which means more flu can circulate.

Orsborn said many students don’t get their flu shot because “they say they’ve never had the flu, and they’ve never had the shot, so they don’t need it, obviously”. For more information, talk to your doctor or other health care professional, visit www.cdc.gov/flu, or call CDC at 1‐800‐CDC‐INFO. If a child has not received his/her first dose, get them vaccinated now. The nasal spray flu vaccine and pneumonia vaccine will not be available at this clinic.

The Harford Health Department, however, is offering the seasonal flu shot free to any school-age child, kindergarten through 12th grade.

“The risk of serious illness from flu and possible hospitalisation is higher among those aged 65 years and older as they are more likely to have an underlying health problem and their immune system may not work as well”. But schools are working to prevent the spread of the flu, and the number of serious influenza cases is down.