District 2 is minimizing opportunities of contracting the flu. It’s as easy as securing an annual flu vaccination from your local health department. We urge all those that are eligible to get up to date with their flu vaccine.
Flu Vaccine Facts
Who Should get a Flu Vaccine
Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza. A full listing of people at Higher Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications is available.
What Flu Vaccines does District 2 Public Health Offer?
When Should I Get Vaccinated?
For most people who need only one dose of flu vaccine for the season, September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October.
Why Should I get a Flu Shot?
Most people who get flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of flu, some of which can be life-threatening and result in death.
During an average flu season, flu can cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. Many more people could be protected from flu if more people got vaccinated.
Where can I get a flu shot?
Flu Vaccine Effectiveness FAQ
How effective are flu vaccines?
CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well influenza (flu) vaccines protect against flu. While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines.
What are the benefits of flu vaccination?
- Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
- Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
- Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization.
- Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with certain chronic health conditions.
- Flu vaccination during pregnancy helps protect pregnant people from flu during and after pregnancy and helps protect their infants from flu in their first few months of life.
- Flu vaccine can be lifesaving in children.
- Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.