Summary
Twenty-five to 35,000 people die from the flu every year. As flu season approaches, it's important to get scheduled for your flu vaccine to help prevent getting sick. Vaccines can especially help children live healthier lives! Sadler Health Center will be offering the vaccines for patients to stay ahead of the flu.
As flu season approaches, it is important to remember to protect yourself with a flu vaccine.
Sadler Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), provides comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health and community resources to assist individuals to improve overall wellness. October is the beginning of flu season and Katrina Thoma, RN, MSN, CRNP, Medical Director of Sadler Health Center, said that the importance of getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever.
“The importance of vaccines cannot be understated,” Kat said, adding that children are not getting the same diseases as in the past. They are also living longer, healthier lives.
While people may consider the flu a relatively harmless illness, Thoma said it should not be taken lightly.
“Twenty-five thousand to 36,000 people die every year because of the flu,” she said, highlighting that the very young, older adults and immune-compromised are at the highest risks of becoming seriously ill.
According to the Center for Disease Control, vaccines are recommended for those 6 months and older. For people over 65, a higher dose vaccine is offered. The vaccine, she said, targets the most common flu strains of Influenza A & Influenza B. This vaccine uses “imposter” strains that mimic the virus and help the body build antibodies.
Thoma said there are a lot of misconceptions about the flu vaccine, ranging from the idea that people are given a “live” version of the flu which causes people to get sick.
“It takes 2-6 weeks for the vaccine to be truly effective,” she said. “If you are exposed to the flu in that time, unfortunately, you can get the flu.”
National estimates say that the vaccine, last year, likely prevented 6,300 related flu deaths, 7.5 million illness and 105,000 hospitalizations.
As flu season approaches this fall, vaccines for Sadler patients will be offered. In addition, COVID-19 vaccines are available now. You can register online at www.sadlerhealth.org/services/covid-19-services.
“Sadler is here for you and here to keep the community healthy,” Thoma said.