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The busy holiday season has
passed and people are settling into their normal routines again, but I want
to call your attention to another noteworthy event on the horizon: National
Influenza Vaccination Week is January 10-16. While a shot may not seem like
a thing to celebrate, avoiding the seasonal and H1N1 flu certainly is. It is
my hope this reminder will urge anyone who has been delaying getting a
seasonal flu or H1N1 shot to do so now that supplies are readily available.
Throughout the fall shortages caused people to delay or skip vaccinations.
But many health experts expect a third wave of H1N1 to occur and the
seasonal influenza has yet to fully emerge. That makes this week is a good
time to find a clinic, local health department or doctor who can vaccinate
you and your family now. It is not too late.
To commemorate Influenza Vaccination Week the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention ( www.cdc.gov ) has even
created on-line e-cards you can send to loved ones as a reminder.
But the results of the flu are a serious matter. Each year millions of
people in the United States become ill with influenza. On average more than
200,000 people are admitted to hospitals across the country as a result of
influenza infection. Nationally, some 36,000 people die each year as a
result of influenza infection. Although most people with influenza recover
completely in a week or two, hospitalization rates are highest for young
babies and persons over age 64.
According to public health officials, seasonal influenza vaccination is
recommended for:
persons 50 years old or older;
women who are or will be in their second or third trimester of pregnancy
during the influenza season;
children and adolescents who are receiving long term aspirin therapy; and
healthy children 6 months through 5 years of age.
persons 6 months of age or older with heart or lung problems requiring
regular medical follow-up or recent hospitalization, cancer or immunologic
disorders, AIDS and related conditions, kidney disease, cystic fibrosis,
diabetes, anemia, and asthma
The 2009 H1N1 vaccine is recommended for virtually everyone, and especially
for people in these groups:
o Pregnant women
o Household contacts and caregivers for children less than 6 months old
o Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
o All people age 6 months through 24 years
o Persons age 25 through 64 years who have conditions associated with higher
risk of complications from influenza
I urge you to take time soon to get yourself and your family immunized -
there are still many weeks left of Wisconsin winter.
For more information, visit:
Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Public
Health Immunization Program:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/immunization
Influenza Fact Sheet:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/factsheets/Influenza.htm
H1N1 Influenza Information:
www.pandemic.wisconsin.gov
Local Public Health Department Listing:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/dph_ops/localhealth
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