That means we should still have time to get people immunized. The emphasis this year is on getting people in certain high risk groups immunized first, Bates said. Getting the flu can be an unpleasant experience for anyone, she said, and it often means being absent for a few days from work or school. But for those people who are at risk of developing serious complications, it can mean a trip to the hospital, or life-threatening illness. We re postponing our immunization clinics partly to ensure that people in these groups receive immunizations as the vaccine becomes available, Bates said.
Influenza is always a respiratory illness.
There is no such thin as stomach flu. In order to be protected against influenza, people need to be reimmunized every year, according to health officials. Because the influenza virus changes from one year to the next, the vaccine has to be reformulated to target those strains that are most likely to be in circulation during the upcoming flu season. Vaccine manufacturers have reported that the A Panama strain has been more difficult to grow than corresponding strains from last year s vaccine. Watch the newspaper for updates on the flu vaccine and area shot clinic information.