It’s Not Too Late to Get Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Flu Activity Hitting Colorado Earlier than Last Year
January 14, 2008—Denver—Officials at the Colorado
Department of Public Health and
Environment and the Colorado Influenza and Pneumococcal
Alert Coalition
want to remind Coloradans they still can protect themselves
and their
family and friends from the flu this year.
“There is plenty of flu vaccine available in Colorado this
year, and
it is our hope that more Coloradans will get their flu
vaccines in the
coming days or weeks,” said Dr. Lisa Miller, director of the
Disease
Control and Environmental Epidemiology Division at the state
health
department.
According to the coalition, flu vaccines are the best
defense against
the influenza virus. Not only do they provide protection
against the
virus for the individual being vaccinated, they also protect
at-risk
family and friends.
“We are seeing more flu activity earlier this year than last
year -
when flu activity peaked in March,” said Miller. “But it is
too
early to tell whether this will be an unusual year for flu
activity.
Generally, we see the most activity in January and
February.” Thus far in 2008, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
shows Colorado as the only state reporting widespread flu
activity. “We are seeing flu activity up and down the Front Range and
on the
Western Slope,” said Miller. “The department reports
activity based
on reports from hospitals and participating laboratories. On
average,
CDC reports that about 7 percent of samples being tested by
laboratories
across the United States are positive for influenza. In
Colorado, about
20 percent of the samples are positive for flu. Keep in
mind, this does
not represent the percentage of Coloradans with the flu,
just the
percent of those with flu symptoms who have been tested and
whose lab
results were positive for flu.” Flu vaccines are strongly
recommended for the following individuals:
- people more than 50 years of age
- children ages 6 to 59 months
- adults and children with a chronic disease such as
diabetes or
chronic disorders of the lungs and heart
- anyone whose immune system is weakened because of
HIV/AIDS or other diseases that affect the immune system
- anyone with a condition that may compromise respiratory
function or
the handling of respiratory secretions
- anyone 6 months to 18 years of age on long-term aspirin
treatments
- residents of nursing homes and other long-term care
facilities
- all pregnant women
- health care professionals with close patient contact
- household contacts and caregivers of children less than
6 months of
age
- anyone who wants to avoid the flu
“Compared to days lost from work because of the flu, the
cost of
prevention is minimal,” said Miller. Flu vaccines are
available at low cost at local health departments and
are free under Medicare Part B and through some HMOs and
private
insurance companies. They are available at clinics, doctors’
offices,
grocery stores and some pharmacies.
For a complete list of flu clinics across Colorado,
please visit the
CIPAC Web site at
www.immunizecolorado.com or call 1-877-462-2911.
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