Thursday, October 4, 2007

Flu Vaccinations - Pizzi

Don’t let the warm weather fool you…flu season is just around the corner.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the flu virus is constantly changing, so it is important to get vaccinated every year.

The New York State Department of Health says the “flu” or seasonal influenza is a respiratory viral infection that affects the entire body. The flu can easily be spread from person to person.

The earlier the better when getting an annual flu vaccine. The New York State Department of Health says early October through December is the best time to get vaccinated, since it takes about two weeks for protection from the virus to develop.

The CDC report that there are two types of vaccinations: The first is the Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (TIV). TIV is administered by injection and uses killed viruses--a type of vaccine that will not cause the flu. Children and adults six months to forty-nine years old can be administered this vaccine.

The CDC reports FluMist is the second type of flu vaccination that uses the Live, Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV). FluMist is an intranasal spray, which has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for non-pregnant, two to forty-nine-year-olds.

The Onondaga County Health Department has information on locations in the Syracuse area offering flu vaccinations this year.

3 comments:

"Dynamite" Doug Plagens said...

This is fantastic. Thanks Chelsea. I certainly won't be "fooled by the warm weather." I've been wondering where to get a flu shot, being new to the area. Now I know that on October 11, which conveniently happens to be tomorrow, I can log onto a reputable website and book my appointment. This winter, I probably won't ever wake up queezy with the flu. And for that, I can thank you, Chelsea.

Furthermore, all the links worked. This blog accomplishes what it sets out to do. It provides facts, information, and when I can take action. It engages me as if the words are coming from my family physician.

And I didn't know anything about the LAIV vaccination method; very interesting.

One thing could be done differently. Do you have influenza data from this area? How many people get the flu each year? Are reported cases on the rise, or on the decline. Again, as a person who is new to the area, this could also be useful. Finally, how much does a flu shot around here cost?

Unknown said...

to chelsea,
this post is a little old so i doubt you still read this chlesea. but i think i might have met you a long time ago. if this is the chelsea that use to date a guy named ken then maybe you remember a JB. i know you must be in chicago or l.a. by now, but if you are ever around you should email me sometime.

jb

ps all i can remember is clancy's pub before you went to visit u of chicago.

Unknown said...

to chelsea,
this post is a little old so i doubt you still read this chlesea. but i think i might have met you a long time ago. if this is the chelsea that use to date a guy named ken then maybe you remember a JB. i know you must be in chicago or l.a. by now, but if you are ever around you should email me sometime.

jb
JBSOUNDADVICE@GMAIL.COM

ps all i can remember is clancy's pub before you went to visit u of chicago.