Fall is around the corner and that means it's time to protect yourself against the flu. The Ocean County Health Department is encouraging residents to get their annual flu and pneumonia shots this year at one of their 60 upcoming clinics.

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Leslie Terjesen, OCHD Pubic Information Officer, said the department is offering the first clinic on September 21, 2015, at its northern site, at 1771 Madison Avenue, in Lakewood, from 1:30 to 3:30 P.M, and will continue to offer them at various sites around the county through November.

Flu shots are available to anyone 6 months and older, and according to Terjesen there are three choices of Flu vaccine available from the health department: Regular dose injection in the muscle for all people 6 months of age and older, High-dose injection in the muscle for people 65 years of age and older, and Intra-dermal injection into the skin for people 18-64 years of age.

"This if the first time we've used the quadravalent vaccine. It's a combination of two strains of both A and two strains of B flu viruses. By adding an additional strain of B virus to the vaccine, it aims to give a better protection against circulating flu viruses that might be missed, " Terjesen explained.

Flu shots cost $20, unless you have Medicare Part B, pointed out Terjesen. The OCHD also offers the pneumonia shot, which also is covered by Medicare Part B.

"If somebody wants to get a pneumonia shot and they're under the age of 65, what they need to do is, they need to bring a note from their doctor," said Terjesen. She added, "And we get a lot of people who come to us that said they got a pneumonia shot before they were 65. They would need to wait 7 years before they would get another."

Terjesen stressed seasonal flu causes thousands of deaths every year and that so many more thousands are hospitalized from it.

"We look at the studies of who is coming into the emergency room, and influenza is very dangerous to a child. In fact, it's the law that any child under the age of 60 months who is in a licenses day care or nursery school has to get their flu shot between September 1, and December 31st" said Terjesen.

Terjesen also advised anyone around children, including parents, grandparents, and babysitters get flu shots, as well as caregivers to the elderly.

"People die from the flu, and getting a flu shot, not that it's a 100 percent guarantee, but if you do get the flu, it certainly will probably be a lot less severe.," Terjesen said.

It's also a misconception that getting a flu shot can give you the flu, according to Terjesen. She explained the vaccine is a dead, inactive virus.

"When you get the flu shot, it's going to take a couple of weeks for you to develop enough antibodies to fight off the flu. You may have gotten somewhere else and gotten it before you developed antibodies, but you do not get it from the flu shot," she said.

This year, the health department also also is offering a Live Healthy Ocean County program at several of our flu clinics, which include chronic disease screening services, Tdap and Shingles vaccination, according to Terjesen. Residents will have the opportunity to drop off their unused or expired medications at several of our flu sites.

For more information about flu shots, Live Health Ocean County and drug drop-off sites, call the OCHD at 732-341-9700, ext. 7604, or visit the OCHD website at www.ochd.org.

 

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