Flu & Flu Shots

Influenza Guidance

Prevention is Key

Who should get the vaccine?

Risk Factor

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

Pregnancy

X

Household Contacts / Caregivers for Children Under 6 Months of Age

X

Healthcare & Emergency Medical Personnel

X

Children Younger Than 6 Months

 

People Aged 6 Months to 24 Years Old

X

People Aged 25 to 64 With Chronic Health Conditions *

X

Adults 65 Years of Age & Older

X

Residents of Nursing Homes & Other Chronic-Care Facilities

X

* Chronic Health Conditions include chronic lung (including asthma), heart, kidney, liver or blood disorders, metabolic disorders (including diabetes), and impaired immune systems (including those caused by medications or HIV/AIDS).

Common flu symptoms (see Home Care notes):

Influenza or "the flu" is characterized by the abrupt onset of fever, headache, sore throat, cough and muscle aches. Unlike other respiratory illnesses, the flu is associated with a striking sense of unwellness accompanied by a loss of appetite and weakness lasting several days.

Worrisome flu symptoms (seek medical care as soon as possible):

Home care if you get the flu:

Items to have on hand for medical, health and emergency supplies in case you want to stay home due to illness or avoid exposure to illness in the public:

 

If you have further questions, please refer to http://www.flu.oregon.gov or http://pandemicflu.gov/index.html.

Contact your health care provider or North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600 for seasonal or H1N1 vaccine availability. You can also call 1-800-SAFENET for information.

 

Top Ten reasons why people don’t get the flu shot

10. I don’t need the flu shot. If I do get the flu, I’ll just take the new flu medication.

The new antiviral medications prescribed for flu do not eliminate flu symptoms. According to the medical literature, they have the ability to reduce the severity of the flu somewhat, and may shorten the duration by only about three days. They will not stop the flu dead in its tracks, like a cough suppressant relieves a cough. Moreover, patients who have taken these medications inappropriately have been known to suffer severe side effects.

9. I’m not in a high-risk group.

You may not be in a high-risk group, but your patients are, and members of your family may be. If you get the flu, you put people around you at high risk for serious illness. You can help ensure that thy stay healthy this winter.

8. If my patients get the flu shot, then I don’t need to.

Can you be sure that they did get a flu shot? What if they didn’t? Remember, even if they did, the vaccine is 70-90% effective. In frail elderly, effectiveness may be as low as 30%. Getting the flu shot will add an extra level of certainty that you will not get the flu, and will not pass it on to your patients and family.

7. The flu shot causes Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

The Gullain-Barré Symdrome (GBS) was associated with the swine flu in 1976 but has not been clearly linked to flu vaccines. The CDC states, however, that “if there is a risk of GBS from current influenza vaccines it is estimated at one or two cases per million persons vaccinated.” So the benefits of getting a flu shot greatly outweigh the risks involved.

6. I got a flu shot last year.

Strains of the flu virus change every year, and new vaccines are produced to counter them as soon as they are identified. In addition, the vaccine loses its potency after a year. So, the shot you had last year will not be effective against this year’s virus.

5. I will get sick from the flu shot.

There’s no live virus in the vaccines, so you can’t get the flu from the shot. You night get a low-grade fever and muscle aches that last about a day or two. Remember, the vaccines can take up to two weeks to become completely effective, so you could still get the flu during these two weeks. If you get the flu after this period, you may experience milder symptoms that if you had not had the immunization.

4. The flu can’t be all that bad. After all, it’s just a really bad cold.

The flu can be very serious. Approximately 40,000 people die from the flu and flu-related complications in the United States each year. Ninety-five percent of these deaths occur in individuals age 65 and older. The flu shot protects you, and it will help keep you from spreading it to individuals in the vulnerable age category

3. My doctor didn’t recommend it.

All major health organizations and the CDC recommend that all individuals working in the health care environment have an annual flu shot.

2. I’m healthy and never get the flu.

            Absolutely anyone can get the flu. Why chance it?

1. I already had the flu!

Are you sure you didn’t have a bad cold? The flu will keep you in bed with a sudden onset of high fever, severe body aches, backaches and headaches for days or even weeks. It will keep you from working and carrying out daily activities.

 

 

Clinic Schedule

North Central Public Health District Clinic Information

Hours:              Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (Closed for Lunch: Noon to 1:00 PM)

Location:          419 East 7th Street, The Dalles, OR

Phone:             (541) 506-2600

Remember: Protect yourself and those you care for, get the vaccine, not the flu.

Questions? Call the Oregon State H1N1 Hotline at 1 (800) 978-3040 or visit www.flu.oregon.gov.

 

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