A New Year’s Resolution You Can Still Keep!
January 14, 2011
Santa Paula News
If you’re like most people, the start of a new year brings the usual list of “I’m going to...” resolutions like lose weight, eat right, exercise more, live a healthier life.
Despite our best intentions, it’s so easy to continue old habits.
There is one thing you can do - today - to make 2011 a healthier year for you and your family. It’s not too late to get a flu shot and protect yourself and your loved ones from seasonal influenza.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the flu so far is striking very hard in parts of the South - Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi - and New York City. Illinois and Oklahoma also are reporting high levels of flu.
While most of us think of flu season as hitting around the holidays, January and February are typically the worst flu months and it’s not uncommon for flu outbreaks to hit as late as March. Don’t wait too much longer - it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine’s protection to kick in.
This year’s vaccine does offer triple protection - against the swine flu known formally as Type A H1N1 flu, the H3N2 strain which this year is causing more respiratory complications including pneumonia, and the Type B flu that tends to be less severe. The CDC recommends vaccine for most everyone except infants younger than 6 months and people with severe allergies to the eggs used to create it.
The good news is that a flu shot is as close as your local pharmacy! Pharmacists are trained to provide many adult vaccinations and working with your doctor, can help bring you up-to-date on all your vaccines. Call your pharmacist today to check on when he or she is providing vaccines, get the shot, and congratulate yourself on keeping a resolution.
For more information on flu, visit www.flu.gov.
