CalCPA ProtectPlus

The following information is from cdc.gov (January 31, 2011)

Don’t let the flu catch YOU by surprise this season. Be prepared; get vaccinated today.

After a busy holiday season, you might be reluctant to add one more thing to your to-do list. But it’s worth it.

 ”Getting the flu vaccine is simple, and it’s the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu,” says Dr. Anne Schuchat, Assistant Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

There is still time to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself and your family. Flu season typically peaks in January or February and can last as late as April or May.

Get a Flu Vaccine Every Flu Season

The best way to protect against influenza is to get a flu vaccine every flu season. Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious complications, hospitalization, or even death. Anyone can get the flu, and getting a flu vaccine is the single best way to protect yourself and your family. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to friends and loved ones. Everyone 6 months of age and older is recommended to get vaccinated against the flu every year.

While flu activity usually peaks in January or February, the flu itself is unpredictable. And although there are many different flu viruses, the yearly flu vaccine protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be most common that flu season.

So what are your options? If you are afraid of getting the flu shot, consider FluMist®. It’s a nasal spray vaccine and is safe and effective for healthy people, 2 years of age and older.

Important reminder for parents and caregivers: Many children need 2 doses of flu vaccine this season to be fully protected. If a child has not received his/her first dose, get them vaccinated now. For those who have been vaccinated with one dose, parents should check with the child’s doctor to see if a second dose is needed.

Who Is at Risk?

Everyone is at risk for influenza. For millions of people each year, the flu can bring a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed. However, you may not realize that flu also leads to more than 200,000 people being hospitalized from flu complications each year. The flu can also be deadly. Between 1976 and 2007, CDC estimates that annual flu-associated deaths in the United States have ranged from a low of about 3,000 people to a high of about 49,000 people. (continue reading…)

Free Flu Shot Program

This article via CVS.com As part of a broad-reaching effort to keep Americans healthy this flu season, CVS Caremark has announced a donation of 100,000 free seasonal flu shots to the unemployed. The vouchers* will be distributed at participating One-Stop Career Centers and other select employment training agencies that offer career resources, training, and workforce information to job seekers, students, and businesses. Once obtained, the voucher may be used for a free flu shot at MinuteClinic or at any scheduled CVS/pharmacy flu clinic. (continue reading…)

(article Via The Medical News photo source)

This flu season more than 2900 Rite Aid pharmacies are offering regular seasonal flu shots and starting September 1, flu shot locations and clinic dates will be available at www.riteaid.com and by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494.

Many Rite Aid pharmacists have already been giving regular seasonal flu shots following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice that anyone who wishes to reduce the risk of getting the regular seasonal flu get a flu shot as soon as they are available. More than 2,000 certified immunizing pharmacists in more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores will give regular seasonal flu shots now and throughout the flu season. After locating a Rite Aid store with an immunizing pharmacist at www.riteaid.com or toll-free 1-866-751-1494, customers should call the store to check if appointments are necessary. Rite Aid pharmacists also can counsel customers and answer questions about both the regular seasonal flu and H1N1 flu.

Nurses will be giving regular seasonal flu shots on a first come, first served basis at flu shot clinics in more than 1,800 Rite Aid stores from September 23 through mid-December. Clinic locations will be available September 1 at www.riteaid.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494. (continue reading…)