Updated information about Influenza (CDC)

What's new regarding influenza (CDC)

Flu Questions & Answers (CDC)
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Influenza: Flu in the United States (CDC)

Pneumococcal Disease: Questions and Answers (CDC)

Antiviral drugs and the flu (CDC)

Wash your hands the right way (pdf)

Download the W.A.S.H. Up Westchester Kit (pdf)

(To view and/or print the brochures in pdf format,  you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe Systems.  This software is free and you may download it here.)

Senior citizens and others who may be at high risk of complications if they get the flu are advised to protect themselves against influenza by receiving a flu shot annually.  Senior citizens should also receive Pneumococcal vaccine, which generally needs to be given only one time, to protect themselves against the most common type of pneumonia. 

Certain individuals should consult their private physician before getting any flu vaccinations.  They include people who:

• are allergic to eggs
• have a history of serious allergic condition or reaction to flu vaccine in the past (e.g.. fever, rash, etc.)
• have had previous attacks of Guillan-Barré Syndrome, a neurological illness following viral infections or other chronic neurological illnesses;
• are pregnant; generally, it is recommended that women in their second and third trimesters get a flu shot
• have an acute febrile illness.

Pneumococcal vaccine protects against Pneumococcal pneumonia, the most common cause of pneumonia in adults.  By receiving Pneumococcal vaccine just one time, high risk individuals can usually protect themselves against illness and possibly death from this disease.

 Influenza vaccine shots are covered fully by Medicare: otherwise there is a $15 fee.  Pneumococcal vaccine shots are covered fully by Medicare; otherwise there is a $30 fee. For more information on clinic dates and sites, residents may call the Health Department at 813-5000.

 

The Health Department continues to advise residents to adhere to general good health habits to help prevent contracting and spreading the flu.  To help prevent the spread and contraction of the flu, please follow the "Four C's" explained below.
Contact	Avoid close contact with people who are sick.  If you are sick, keep your distance from others to prevent them from getting sick. Equally important is avoiding contact with your eyes, nose and mouth since the virus spreads by entering the mucous membranes in these areas.
Contain	If you are sick, stay home from work, school and public areas.  By doing so, you will help prevent others from getting sick.
Cover	Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough to protect others from getting sick.  Since you may be contagious even before you realize you are sick, it is important to make this habit routine.
Clean	Clean your hands in hot soapy water often.  Hand washing is one of the most effective, yet overlooked ways of preventing the spread of illness.