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It's more and more this time of year – the time to prepare for the flu season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting vaccinated before the flu begins to spread in your community. People should be vaccinated against the flu by the end of October. According to the CDC, it takes about two weeks after the influenza vaccine for antibodies that protect it to develop in the body.
Getting the flu shot later may still be beneficial, says the CDC.
According to the New York Times, more than 80,000 Americans died of the flu last winter.
As of August 25, 180 pediatric deaths had been reported to the CDC during the 2017-18 season, according to the CDC. This is the largest number of influenza-associated deaths among children during an influenza season. According to the CDC, about 80% of these deaths were children who had not been vaccinated against influenza.
During the 2017-18 influenza season, there was a total of 688 cases in Central County, an influenza rate of 432 cases per 100,000 population, according to a report by lehighvalleylive.com.
The Bellefonte area school district and Penn State Health are collaborating to offer a flu vaccine clinic with the help of the influenza virus, scheduled Oct. 13 at 8 am. secondary school of Bellefonte. The flu shot will be free for the first 1,000 people, ages 3 and up.
"We are excited to provide this service for free to members of our community," Crystal Henry, Penn State Medical Regional Client Services Regional Specialist at State College, said in an email. "At Penn State Health Medical Group, we strive to provide the best care to families in the area. We believe that by offering free flu vaccines we will reach families who may not be able to get vaccinated. This will lead to healthier communities and fewer visits to the hospital, especially during the flu season. "
Other influenza vaccination clinics will be offered in Central County this fall.
The Mount Nittany group of physicians will have flu vaccination clinics in all of their primary health care centers until December 13th. The clinics will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bellefonte Internal Medicine, Bellefonte Pediatrics, Internal Medicine Blue Course Drive, Boalsburg Paediatrics, Family Practice Green Tech Drive, Mifflin County Family Medicine, Park Avenue Internal Medicine, Penns Valley Family Medicine and Family Medicine Philipsburg. In addition, on October 6 and 20 and November 3 and 17, an influenza clinic will be available from 8 am. at noon at the clinic on Saturday.
Veterans who are part of Veterans Affairs can be vaccinated free of charge for influenza at the following clinics: 9 am to 1 pm Oct. 6 at Altoona VAMC and Huntingdon Clinic and Oct. 20 at State College Clinic.
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