 |
About the Flu |
| Plan,
prevent and protect yourself, family and friends from serious illness and
infections by getting an annual flu shot. |
 |
PLAN |
Knowing the facts may surprise you, but planning to get vaccinated is
the best form of protection against the flu.
You may be surprised
that…
» On
average 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the flu.
» More than 200,000 people in the US are
hospitalized from influenza every year.
» Approximately 36,000 flu-related deaths occur
each year.
» Combined with
pneumonia, influenza is the 8th leading cause of death in the US. |
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PREVENT |
The
main spread of illness like colds and flu are from person to person in
respiratory droplets, like coughing and sneezing.
Help prevent the
flu by:
| 1. |
Getting vaccinated |
| 2. |
Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze |
| 3. |
Washing hands frequently with soap and warm water or alcohol based
hand sanitizers |
| 4. |
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth |
| 5. |
Avoiding contact with someone who is sick |
| 6. |
Staying home if you become sick |
The 2010-2011 vaccine protects against A/H1N1 (pandemic) influenza
and two other influenza viruses - influenza A/H3N2 and influenza B.
|
PROTECT |
Symptoms of Flu:
Anyone can get influenza, but rates of
infection are highest among children. For most people, symptoms last only a few
days.
They include:
» sore throat
» fever
» chills
» fatigue
» cough
» headache
» muscle aches
Other illnesses can have the
same symptoms and are often mistaken for influenza. |
Who Should Get Vaccinated:
While everyone should get a
flu vaccine each flu season, the CDC especially recommends that the following
groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious
flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high
risk for developing flu-related complications:
| 1. |
Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years
old |
| 2. |
People 50 years of age and older |
| 3. |
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
|
| 4. |
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
|
| 5. |
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications
from flu, including:
| a. |
Health care workers |
| b. |
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the
flu |
| c. |
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6
months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated) |
|
When to Get Vaccinated:
Yearly flu vaccination should
begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue through
early May. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary.
While influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, influenza activity
usually peaks in January or later.
By taking the simple step to
get vaccinated you are helping to protect yourself, your family and others
around you. |
Vaccines to be used in the 2010-2011 influenza season in the
U.S. contain the following:
- an A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus;
* - an A/Perth /16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus;
** - a
B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.***
*A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus
is the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus. A monovalent vaccine containing
this strain was made available to the United States in the fall of 2009.
**A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus is a change from the 2009-2010 influenza
vaccine formulation. ***and B/Brisbane /60/2008-like virus is a current vaccine
virus.
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