Public Health

2008–2009 Flu Season Update

With flu season just around the corner, now is a great time to think about protecting yourself from those nasty bugs that circulate every year. For the 2008-2009 season, vaccine manufacturers are projecting to produce as many as 146 million doses of the vaccine, an all-time high supply. Flu season peaks between December and March, and each winter these viruses kill an average of 36,000 people.

Who should get vaccinated?

Anyone who can! If you want to reduce your chances of getting the flu, it’s a good idea to get your shot. And this year, people may choose to get vaccinated without the discomfort of a shot as FluMist, a needle-free flu vaccine, will be available. FluMist is a gentle nasal mist delivered into the nose, where the flu virus usually enters the body… a simple, quick spray in each nostril. FluMist is available to people between the ages of 2 and 49 years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu vaccination during the 2008-2009 is recommended for the following groups:

• children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
• pregnant women
• people 50 years of age and older
• people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
  • health care workers
  • household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
  • household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age as these children are too young to be vaccinated

Clackamas County heads into flu season

This year, the Clackamas County Community Health Division will aim to vaccinate those who do not typically receive flu vaccine. According to Dana Lord, Clackamas County Public Health Program Manager, “We have been encouraging senior citizens to get their flu shot for years; therefore, they have well established avenues for receiving the vaccine. For this reason, we are trying to reach young children, school age children, health care workers, first responders, adults with young children or who work with high risk groups.”

The Clackamas County Community Health Division will be at various community events throughout the fall offering free flu vaccine. For more information, call 503-655-8799.