Published: November 19, 2008 10:18 pm      

HEALTH: Almost everybody needs a flu shot in the arm

Health officials say the more people who are immunized against influenza, the healthier we will all be

It’s not easy getting her 1-year-old twins to the pediatrician’s office, especially on a cold winter day, but Rebecca Williams of Niagara Falls makes sure her young sons get all their recommended shots, including their flu shots.

“It’s no fun to have a sick baby, especially when there are two babies,” she said, after her boys received a series of immunizations Wednesday at Summit Pediatrics on Williams Road.

The boy’s pediatrician, Dr. Robert Gadawski, said more and more parents are requesting the flu vaccine this year. “Basically, we put all children into a high risk category for influenza. We highly recommend (the flu vaccine) for all our patients now,” he said.

The Center for Disease Control has also recommended that all children who are six months and older should receive flu vaccines, according to Patricia Fitzpatrick, supervising public health nurse for the Niagara County Health Department. The recommendation comes, she said, not only to protect the children but also to protect the adults and senior citizens around them.

According to the Niagara County Health Department, up to 20 percent of the population gets the flu each year in the U.S. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from the flu. Both the county and state health departments are encouraging people, especially children, to get vaccinated.

The county health department said flu season in the U.S. typically occurs during the fall or winter months, but the peak of flu activity can occur as late as April or May. Flu viruses can cause disease among persons in any age group, but rates of infection are highest among children. Rates of serious illness and death are highest among persons age 65 and older, children less than 2 years old and persons of any age who have medical conditions that place them at increased risk for complications from influenza.

Experts say the flu virus spreads mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people who are infected with the virus. People may become infected by touching items or surfaces with flu viruses on them, and then touching their noses or mouths.

Infected individuals may be able to infect others, beginning one day before symptoms develop, and up to five days after becoming sick. This means the flu could be pass on by a person to someone else while that person may feel healthy.

While some people may worry that getting a flu shot will give them flu symptoms, Dr. Gadawski said those worries are unfounded.

“The injectable flu vaccine is not a live vaccine, it’s a dead virus,” he said. “Years ago it was actually a live vaccine and we saw more serious reactions.”

He said another common misconception about being stricken with the flu is that it causes stomach upset.

“Influenza is not a stomach illness, it’s actually a respiratory illness,” he said. The symptoms, which often start like cold symptoms with fever, muscle aches and headaches, typically launch into respiratory symptoms including sore throat, nasal and lung congestion and serious coughing, he added.

Those who would like to receive a flu vaccine can call their health care provider or they can contact Niagara County.

The Niagara County Health Department has a immunization clinic at the Trott Access Center, 1001 11th St., which offers free shots to children under 18. The clinic also provides immunizations for adults for a $35 fee. The Health Department can also provide information on other health care agencies that are offering the shots in the area. For more information contact the county’s Immunization Health Line at 278-1903.

Reporter Joe Olenick contributed to this report.



TO GET YOUR VACCINE

• CHOICE: People can receive the flu vaccine either by a regular shot or a nasal spray

• HOW IT WORKS: A vaccine is a weakened virus to which the body develops antibodies. These, in turn, destroy the weak virus and protect the body from actual virus.

• INFORMATION: Visit www.cdc.gov/flu or contact the Niagara County Immunization Program at 278-1903