When the leaves start turning colors and falling to the ground, flu season is on its way. Flu shot clinics are beginning across Emporia this week. Some will run through November.
Jami White, director of infection control and employee health at Newman Regional Health, said flu shots prevent influenza-related deaths and protect other people from contracting the illness from a sick person. More than 200,000 people in the Unites States are hospitalized each year because of flu.
“We know each year over 36,000 people die from the flu,” White said. “You actually are getting a flu shot to protect those around you along with protecting yourself.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best time to get a flu shot is in October and November. Influenza season usually peaks in February, but it can peak anytime from November through May.
Newman Regional Health is planning to have its annual drive-through flu clinic toward the end of October, when the vaccines come in, said Nancy LeClear, spokeswoman for Newman. Newman also will be doing a variety of clinics at senior centers, but the dates will not be set until the vaccines arrive.
“We do have enough to protect our employees,” White said.
White said flu vaccine helps prevent the respiratory illnesses associated with flu.
“This is not the vomiting or diarrhea,” White said. “Besides the vaccine, the best way to prevent the flu is hand washing and not to touch your eyes, your nose or your mouth.”
White cautions sick people to not come to the hospital to visit patients.
“We are also asking our visitors to use our alcohol hand jell or foam when they come into patient areas,” she said.
Newman also takes precautions when sick patients come in.
If they come into the emergency room with a respiratory illness, they will be asked to wear a mask.
“We don’t try to pick on people like they have a dreaded disease, we just want to prevent the spread (of the flu),” White said.
A healthy adult can get the flu and not be terribly sick, but they can spread it to others with weaker immune systems.
“Young healthy persons can have a mild illness and spread influenza to those who can die from it,” White said. “And that includes those with young children in the household. The adults may get mildly ill, but the infants can get severely ill.”
The Lyon County Health Department held a mass vaccination exercise on Monday.
About 564 people took advantage of the $10 flu shots. The exercise gave employees practice in case a mass vaccination is ever needed.
“In the first 45 minutes, we vaccinated about 200 people,” health department director Lougene Marsh said.
“We were very pleased that we were able to get that many people and run them through that quickly. It was very good.”
Marsh said they got excellent feedback from the public.
Almost everybody that went through did an evaluation at the end,” she said.
“The feedback that our volunteers sitting at the exit door got was very favorable. That’s the kind of efficiency that we need to have in a true public emergency.
tIt was a good experience for all of us.”
Where to get the vaccine:
• Lyon County Health Department will offer flu shots for $20 today until 4:30 p.m.
• Emporia Family Medicine will offer shots to patients for $20 on Oct. 21 from 9 to 11 a.m.
• Dillons pharmacy, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost has not been determined. The pharmacy also will take appointments the last two weeks in October and in November.
• Wal-Mart, Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost not available.