Kings Health Dept. urges public awareness; get your flu shots

If you have not yet received it, it’s not too late. Yearly vaccination is needed for the best protection against flu viruses. A person’s immune protection from the flu vaccine declines over time. About two in three people who get the flu did not receive their flu shot that year.   

While vaccine effectiveness can vary, recent studies show vaccine reduces the risk of flu illness by 40 percent to 60 percent among the overall population during seasons when circulating flu viruses are like vaccine viruses, according to the CDC. Even if vaccine effectiveness to prevent disease is limited, immunization can reduce illness, and avoid hospitalization and death due to influenza.  

Currently, the Kings County Health Department recommends:  

• All persons six months and older who have not yet received influenza vaccine this season get vaccinated.  As a reminder, children younger than nine years of age who have never received influenza vaccine before require at least two doses at least four weeks apart during their first season. 

• Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of severe complications from influenza. For more on this topic visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm 

• Take action to stop the spread of flu by washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick. 

Additional information for the seasonal influenza is available on the Health Department website at https://www.countyofkings.com/health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/ and The California Department of Public Health at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/Influenza.aspx  The Health Department is committed to keeping the people of Kings County healthy during influenza season.  Please call the Health Department at (559) 584-1401 if you have any questions.