Flu shots in good supply

Flu season is here, and this year, federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that even young children receive the vaccine. 

The agency launched a viral marketing campaign in September to push parents to vaccinate themselves and their children.

The organization posted a YouTube video titled “Why Flu Vaccination Matters: Personal Stories from Families Affected by Flu,” which tells the story of several families who lost young children to the seasonal flu. 

The video recommends that all children age six months and older get the vaccine.
Thomas Kuhn, director of Bloomington Hospital’s Promptcare facilities, recommends it, too, even for children. 

“We have seen enough cases of severe complications arising due to influenza in young children that they should be getting vaccinated,” he said.

Seasonal flu, or influenza, is the name given to a group of related respiratory viruses which, according to the CDC, infect about 5 to 20 percent of the country’s population and result in more than 30,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. 

The most common symptoms of seasonal flu include fever, muscle cramps, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and fatigue. 

The flu vaccine consists of the three most common types of the deadly influenza virus predicted to be in the U.S. each year. 

Kuhn said the vaccine works by tricking your body into thinking its being attacked.
“Your body responds by creating defenses against these flu types, and so when you encounter the live virus in the future your body will then already have strong defenses against it,” he said.

The body takes about two weeks to create those defenses after receiving the vaccine.  
In past years, scarcity of flu vaccine led to rationing. However, this year, the U.S. will produce a record number of vaccinations, on the order of 150 million doses, and so availability of vaccine for anyone in the U.S. is no longer an issue. 

Some local parents are e-mailing the CDC’s videos to each other and pushing other parents to get their kids vaccinated.

“There is no reason not to get this done” said Leah Drichel, a parent of three and a University Division employee. “The cost isn’t big, and it’s not worth the risk”.

With the spike in vaccine production, the CDC’s call to get vaccinated makes sense, Kuhn said. 

“The CDC wants to get communities comfortable with vaccinations so if we do encounter a flu pandemic in the future, people will have familiarity with (flu shots),” he said.

Bloomington residents can reduce their risk of catching the seasonal flu by getting a flu shot early and annually.  

The IU Health Center is providing shots at various locations around campus. The center offers reduced priced vaccinations for students; IU employees covered under University medical insurance can receive the vaccination at no cost. 

Flu shots are also available at Bloomington Hospital and at area grocery stores and pharmacies.  

If a student believes he or she already has the flu, Kuhn recommends that he or she see a doctor within 24 hours of the first symptoms to receive an anti-viral. 

This will reduce flu symptoms and your suffering greatly, he said.