It is not too late to get your flu shot!
Posted on: December 16, 2022 - 11:48am
It is not too late to get your flu shot! Flu vaccination is always the best way to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications.
The holiday season is here. That means more time to spend with your children, family, and friends. However, as holiday cheer spreads, so can flu, with potentially serious complications. Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to stay protected against flu.
Influenza severity for Massachusetts is very high this week and we have also seen an increase in cases here in Freetown.
The flu vaccine reduces the risk of flu illness:
- Can make illness less severe among people who get vaccinated, but still get sick with flu, reducing the risk of serious flu complications, such as hospitalization
- Can be given at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine, for people who are due for both
- Protects against four different flu viruses - even if a patient has already gotten flu, other flu viruses are circulating and it’s possible to get flu more than once a season
Groups at higher risk of serious illness from flu include:
- Adults 65 Years and Older
- Nine out of 10 people hospitalized with flu in recent years had at least one underlying health condition (Asthma, Heart Disease & Stroke, Diabetes, Chronic Kidney Disease)
- Children under 5 Flu is more dangerous than the common cold for children, and healthy children 5 years and older can spread flu to vulnerable family members like infants younger than 6 months and adults over 65
- During Pregnancy Due to changes to the immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy make people more susceptible to potentially serious flu complications. Flu may also be harmful for a developing baby.
For a weekly flu report, please click HERE.
For information on what to do if you get sick, please click HERE.