Last Flu Vaccination Clinic

Cape May County Freeholder Kristine Gabor announced that the Department of Health will hold one final flu vaccination clinic on Jan. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. at their offices located at 6 Moore Rd, bldg #17 in Cape May Court House (Exit 11 off the Garden State Parkway).

“We are now seeing increased flu-like illness in Cape May County as well as throughout New Jersey,” said Health Officer Kevin Thomas. “Hopefully most of our residents have already been vaccinated against the flu, but we will offer one more free flu clinic for anyone who missed the 2012 clinics,” he added.

As a reminder, the State of New Jersey requires that all children less than 5 years of age who attend daycare or preschool receive an annual flu shot by the end of December each year. Children who have not been vaccinated will be excluded from attending daycare or preschool until they are vaccinated or until the end of the flu season, which is currently estimated as the end of March.

For millions of people every season, the flu can mean a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed. However, you may not realize that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized in the United States from flu complications each year. The flu also can be deadly: CDC estimates that flu-associated deaths range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people each year. This is why CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. It’s available in two forms: a shot and a nasal spray. While the regular flu shot can be given to just about everyone, the high-dose flu shot is for people aged 65 years and older and the nasal spray vaccine is approved only for use in healthy people aged 2 to 49 years who aren’t pregnant.

Anyone can get the flu, but some people are at greater risk for serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia, that can lead to hospitalization and even death. For those at greater risk for complications, getting the flu vaccine is especially important.

People at greater risk include:

• Children younger than 5 years old, but especially children younger than 2 years old

• Pregnant women

• People with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart and lung disease

• People 65 years and older

It’s also important to get the vaccine if you care for anyone in one or more of these high risk groups, or for babies younger than 6 months because they are too young to get the vaccine. “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,” said Thomas.

Additional information about the Department’s flu program is available at cmchealth.net or at 463-6581.