December 4-10 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. It’s not too late to get your flu vaccine to protect yourself and loved ones. The Centers for Disease Control is encouraging people who have not yet been vaccinated this season to get vaccinated now.
For millions of people every season, the flu can mean a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed. However, each flu season, flu also causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and even deaths.
There is a vaccine that can prevent flu. The flu varies every season and the benefits from vaccination are well documented. Studies show that flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, visits to the doctor, missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations.
Most health insurance plans cover the cost of recommended vaccines. Check with your insurance provider for details of coverage. If you do not have health insurance, the vaccine is available at the health department for $25 per dose for adults and $15 per dose for children. There is no cost to children enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information about influenza or the flu vaccine, talk to your doctor or other health care professional, visit www.cdc.gov/flu, or call CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
(News release from the City of Lubbock Health Department)
