Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization, pneumonia, and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, but millions of people are forecasted to get the flu each hear, with hundreds of thousands of those people getting hospitalized from flu-related causes.
With several cases being reported throughout TN, people are contracting the flu earlier than last year. So please do NOT hesitate to get your flu shot. Medicare, most insurances, and coverages that fall under the Healthcare act covers flu vaccination as part of preventive or wellness care. Even if you don’t have insurance, you can pay cash for a shot, for as little as $20 at Costco and Sam’s, and you do not have to be a member.
Certain people need a flu shot because of their decreased ability to fight off infections as strong as the flu. This population includes, but is not limited to:
- 65 years of age or older
- Infants (> 6 months – 4 yr.)
- Pregnant patients
- Asthma/COPD patients
- Diabetic patients
- Those with forms of Heart Disease
- HIV/AIDS patients
- Cancer patients
The CDC recommends use of any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine, including inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV), recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV), or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV). No preference is expressed for any influenza vaccine over another. So please choose one. The protection it provides may prove to be invaluable. Be well!
