Vaccinate against flu: It's not too late
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[February 01, 2012]
"Getting the flu vaccine is
simple, and it's the most important thing you can do to protect
yourself and your family from the flu," says Mark Hilliard,
administrator of the Logan County Department of Public Health.
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If you haven't gotten your flu vaccine yet, there is still time to
protect yourself and your family by getting vaccinated. Flu season
is just beginning in the United States, and the season may not peak
until February or March. It's also possible that we could continue
to see flu in the United States until May.
Everyone is at risk for getting the flu. For millions of people
each year, the flu can bring a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or
stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed.
However, you may not realize that the flu also leads to more than
200,000 flu-related hospitalizations per year. The flu also can be
deadly. Between 1976 and 2007, annual flu-associated deaths in the
United States ranged from a low of about 3,000 people to a high of
about 49,000 people.
Anyone can get the flu, but some
people are at greater risk for serious flu-related complications,
like pneumonia. For those at greater risk for complications, getting
the flu vaccine is especially important. Some of the groups at
greater risk are:
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Children younger
than 5 years old, but especially children younger than 2 years
old.
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Pregnant women.
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People with
certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes (Type 1 and 2),
or heart and lung disease.
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People 65 years and older.
It also is important to get vaccinated if you take care of anyone
in these high-risk groups, including babies younger than 6 months,
because they are too young to get vaccinated themselves.
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You and your family can still benefit from a flu vaccine. Make a
commitment to your health and to your family's health by getting
your flu vaccine today.
The flu vaccine is available at the Logan County Department of
Public Health from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday on a
walk-in basis.
[Text from file received from
the
Logan County Department of Public
Health]
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