The Aurora Visiting Nurses Association of Wisconsin has issued the following statement about flu shots this season:
Considerable attention has been paid in recent months to protecting people from the H1N1 flu. Yet there is another flu for which protection is just as critical.
It’s commonly called the seasonal flu.
The Aurora Visiting Nurse Association of Wisconsin Shoo The Flu & Pneumonia Too! vaccination clinics for the seasonal flu will begin Sept. 29 and run through Dec. 5.
Hundreds of clinics will be held throughout eastern Wisconsin, with no appointment necessary. Nearby clinics include sessions at:
- Aurora Pharmancy, Paddock Lake, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Aurora Pharmancy, Twin Lakes, Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Kenosha Medical Center, Kenosha, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging people to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza as soon as possible,†said Lisa Taylor, R.N.,
clinical coordinator for Aurora VNA. “The Aurora VNA Shoo the flu clinics will provide immunization only for the seasonal flu at this time.â€
Taylor said this is a more challenging year because of the potential for people to get sick from both the H1N1 and seasonal flu. “While we don’t know when the H1N1
vaccine will be available, the seasonal flu vaccine has been delivered, and we can start protecting people from the seasonal flu now.â€
The H1N1 vaccine is still being developed and not expected to be available until mid- to-late October When it becomes available, the H1N1 vaccine is intended to be
administered in addition to the seasonal flu vaccine.
“A flu shot is the most effective way to protect yourself from seasonal flu and its potentially dangerous complications. We simply don’t know yet what will occur with the
H1N1 virus, but we do know that nationally, more than 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations are caused yearly by seasonal flu,†Taylor said.
