The Henry and Stark County Health Departments remind area residents that they are still conducting Fall Flu Clinics at various sites throughout the area. People can suffer for days from fever, coughing, sore throats and aching bodies. Tuschhoff said these clinics will offer free meningitis vaccines as well.
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Doctors say it’s hard to predict what flu season will look like this year, but they do know one thing. Along with the vaccination, there are other natural ways to prevent getting the flu. But each flu strain varies and changes every year, and researchers must always make their best guess when matching new vaccines to the virus.
What should I do if I get sick with the flu?
Kelly Sorice, vice president of communications for MedExpress Administrative Offices in Canonsburg, Pa., said the flu vaccine helps protect against viruses that research suggests will be most common. “So if you had the flu, there’s still a small chance that you can still get another infection in the same season”. In the Pacific Northwest, flu activity is usually at the highest level in January or February, and can go longer.
The high dose flu vaccine is specifically for people 65 and older. The Centers for Disease Control recommends annual flu vaccines for everyone who is at least six months of age and older. In the United States, flu season occurs in the winter; flu outbreaks can happen as early as October and can last as late as May.
MediSav Pharmacy, MedExpress, Sparks Health System and Mercy Fort Smith are a few of the Fort Smith locations that have the three formulas of flu vaccine. “The flu vaccine comes in several forms, so there is an alternative for everyone”. If your child does need two doses of vaccine to be fully protected, it is a good idea to begin the vaccination process sooner rather than later.
Statistics from previous year show that across Kent and Medway, 71 per cent of people over 65 are getting their flu jab.
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What are the different types of flu vaccine? “The most vulnerable members of our society, the very young and the elderly or chronically ill, and pregnant women, are hit the hardest by the flu”, says Dr. Parada.
