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The 2001-2002 flu season is upon us – spreading misery, costing the economy billions of dollars, and killing thousands of Americans. This year the government has urged most people to wait until November to get flu shots, but people 65 years of age and older, and those with long-term health conditions, should get a flu shot as soon as it becomes available. An estimated 10% to 20% of the entire population contracts the flu every year; in Lee County this amounts to a potential 80,000 cases. These numbers make clear the need for an annual vaccination. Annual, because the flu virus changes, or mutates, from year to year. Based on surveillance conducted by the National Influenza Centers at over a hundred sites worldwide and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), viral strains are chosen to be included in each year’s upcoming vaccine. (For those technically inclined, this year’s vaccine will contain A/New Caledonia (H1N1), A/Panama (H3N2) and B/Sichuan). Pandemics, or epidemics of worldwide proportion, occurred four times in the twentieth century – 1918, 1957, 1968 and 1977. Of these, the Hong Kong Flu killed 34,000 Americans during the 1968 – 69 flu season. But the deadliest epidemic in recorded history occurred with the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, which killed at least 550,000 people in the United States and up to 50 million worldwide.
Influenza, or flu, is a highly contagious viral infection of the nose, throat and lungs. Spread easily from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes, flu ranks as one of the most severe illnesses of the winter season, capable of leading to hospitalization and even death, particularly among the elderly. Yet a simple vaccination can prevent from 50% to 60% of all hospitalizations and 80% of influenza-related complications and deaths among the elderly. And Medicare Part B pays for the shot (and also for pneumonia shots, offered wherever the health department gives flu immunizations). Typically, the flu is characterized by the abrupt onset of high fever, chills, dry cough, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and muscle and joint pain. Unlike other common respiratory infections, however, the flu can cause extreme fatigue that can last from several days to even weeks. Getting a flu shot year after year may seem an inconvenience, but could possibly save your life, particularly if you’re in a category listed in the accompanying table, "Who Should Get A Flu Shot." As in past years, the Lee County Health Department, together with the Visiting Nurses Association and American Lung Association, are making it easy to prepare for flu season. With nearly fifty temporary clinic locations throughout Lee County, including many in neighborhood civic centers and manufactured home communities, a site should be convenient to anyone in our area. Many offer evening hours. For more specific information about locations and hours near you, call the Lee County Health Department at 332-9505 or the American Lung Association at 275-7577.
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