[ad_1]
Local health officials and service providers are urging residents to take precautions and be vaccinated against the flu this year, as the flu season of 2017 was the deadliest since 2009.
Cynthia Burnham, registered nurse and coordinator of the medical division of Joplin's Department of Health, said that there had been 180 pediatric deaths in the United States as a result of the influenza virus last year . She said half of them were healthy children, meaning they had no immune system or chronic illness that would prevent them from fighting the flu. Eighty percent of children who died of the flu last year were not vaccinated against the disease, she said.
According to Dr. Burnham, in Missouri alone, about 134,000 influenza cases were confirmed in the laboratory last year. This number does not include cases in which a doctor may have made a flu diagnosis without laboratory tests or people who have not sought treatment.
In the hope of preventing this from happening again, officials made some adjustments to the vaccines distributed this year.
"That explains very clearly why we are encouraging everyone to get the flu shot," Burnham said. "There was news that the match was not great last year because they can only guess at the viruses that would be flowing in. This year's vaccine will have two A strands and two B's, and two of them were changed to match what we had. "
Carolyn Prater, pediatrician and chief physician at Access Family Care, said that although the flu season last year had been severe, the correspondence between the two types of vaccines and the circulating virus n & # 39; It was not particularly mediocre. The vaccines had a 40 to 50 percent match, she said, but the virus has still spread significantly.
Not only should all people be vaccinated, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people get vaccinated by the end of October, she said.
"The flu season really starts between December and March, so it's best to get the flu shot before," Prater said. "When you get the flu shot, it takes a few weeks for you to have immunity against the flu strains in circulation, which is why it's important to get it a little earlier."
Joplin's Department of Health, 321 E. Fourth St., has a full offering of flu vaccines, Burnham said, and most of the insurance is accepted and does not require a share. For people without insurance, a fee of $ 10 per shot is required. No co-payments are required for people under Medicaid.
Another option for some local residents to get the flu shot is the community clinic in southwestern Missouri. The clinic recently announced that a donation from Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield and United Way would allow it to provide flu vaccines to uninsured people in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas.
Stephanie Brady, executive director of the clinic, said she had already distributed 500 flu shots this year and confirmed cases had already begun to appear in the area.
"This year, the CDC urges people to get the flu shot after so many flu-related deaths last year," she said. "Our vaccine covers four strains of the flu and is expected to be very effective.While the clinic has had no positive flu cases this year, we have heard of positive cases already reported in the community."
Linda Sitton, Nurse Practitioner and Director of Operations for the OccuMed Operation of Freeman Health System, said Linda Sitton. Although some people may have unpleasant symptoms after receiving an influenza vaccine, it does not stem from the vaccine itself.
"It's impossible for the flu vaccine to make (sick) sick," said Sitton. "There are sometimes local reactions to the arms, redness and itching that we see."
The only active influenza virus administered to patients intentionally is an influenza mist treatment that is sometimes used in patients opposed to firing, she said.
Source link
