What is Flu?
Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is a contagious disease caused by a virus. It can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death. When someone who has influenza sneezes, coughs, or even talks, the influenza virus is expelled into the air and may be inhaled by anyone close by.
Who Gets the Flu?
Each year, approximately 10% to 20% of the American population get sick with the flu. Approximately 200,000 hospitalizations occur due to influenza-associated illness each year. About 36,000 Americans die each year from flu and complications arising from flu.
Who Should Get Vaccinations?
The American Lung Association recommends that the following at-risk groups receive an annual flu vaccination:
- - People over 65 years old (Pneumonia and influenza are the fifth leading cause of death for people over 65. Only about 69% of Americans 65 years and older receive the flu shot annually.)
- - People 50 to 64 years of age
- - Children from 6-months to 23-months old.
- - Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities
- - Adults and children from 6-months old with chronic lung or cardiovascular disorders, including asthma (Only 10% of children with asthma and 39% of adults with asthma get the flu annually.)
- - People with diabetes or chronic kidney disease
- - People with anemia
- - People who are immune-depressed or who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
- - Women who will be pregnant during the flu season, which lasts from December to March
- - Children between 6 months and 18 years of age who are on long-term aspirin therapy. The influenza vaccine will not protect against other respiratory allergies and infections, such as colds and bronchitis, even though those ailments are commonly referred to as “the flu.” It’s also important to remember that the flu can be a serious problem for anyone, even if they are not in a high risk category, causing discomfort and absence from school and work.
How Can You Prevent the Flu?
Flu Shot Locator on American Lung Association’s www.lungusa.org aims to reduce sinus Infection and Deaths Influenza can be prevented with safe and effective vaccines. Because the virus usually mutates each year, an annual shot is necessary. The American Lung Association has launched an online flu-shot locator at their website to help people obtain a flu vaccination in their neighborhoods. The flu shot has been reported to be between 67% and 92% effective in preventing flu and reducing the severity of the flu. “Approximately 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths are due to influenza-associated illness each year, so it is imperative for [at risk] people to receive the flu shot annually,” said John Kirkwood, president of the American Lung Association. “That’s why the American Lung Association launched this online flu-shot locator tool, and we are working overtime to make sure that as many people as possible use it. Even if you miss the best time to receive the flu shot, you can still get a shot at anytime throughout the season.”
“People who receive the flu shot have greatly reduced their chances of contracting not only the flu, but infectious complications of the flu,” said Norman H. Edelman, MD, the American Lung Association’s consultant for medical affairs. “Vaccination with the flu shot has been associated with reductions in physician visits, hospitalizations, and death among the elderly, among young children, and among people with chronic conditions, including those with asthma.” “We are pleased to be working with the American Lung Association to include the locations of CDC- funded public health providers and clinics to give Americans the best resource possible to find a flu vaccine,” said Ray Strikas, MD, associate director for active immunization at the Centers for Disease Control National Immunization Program.
