Flu Season is on its Way – Make These Plans Now to Protect Yourself
The start of Fall also means the start of Flu season. Flu season is often unpredictable and can be severe, sometimes beginning as early as October and continuing as late as May. Now is the time to take steps to get yourself and your family through the Flu season as healthy as possible.
As influenza (flu) causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease, it is recommended that your child and/or family get the flu vaccine to help prevent the flu virus from spreading in your community. On average, 5% to 20% of people in the U.S. get the flu each year, causing more than 200,000 hospitalizations from flu-related complications, which can lead to death in some cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older should get vaccinated every flu season, yet many people still question why they need a flu vaccination year after year. Health experts say that even if you are healthy, you’re still at risk of getting the flu and that’s why it’s important to get vaccinated as soon as the flu shot becomes available. Additionally, flu viruses can change, therefore the vaccines are updated each year.
Despite what some people think, the flu vaccine does not give you the flu but it takes about 2 weeks after you get the flu shot for your body to develop antibodies to help protect you against the flu.
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Flu Expert Kim Tran, MS PharmD: APhA trained immunizer and published researcher, recently joined me to share how to best prepare yourself and your family for the flu season.
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Take a look at the interview below.
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For more tips and information, download the CDC’s The Flu: A Guide for Parents here
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Meet Our Guest:
Kim T. Tran received a Bachelor’s in Microbiology from the University of Michigan, her Master’s in Microbiology from Purdue University and her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the Medical College of Virginia. She has worked with a major pharmacy retailer for 11 years and currently resides in Miami, Fl. Kim has appeared on local and national TV and radio.
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