In Response to Growing Demand, Harford County Health Department Offers No-Cost Seasonal Flu Vaccination Clinic

From the Harford County Health Department:

In response to growing public demand for flu vaccine, the Harford County Health Department will be holding no-cost seasonal influenza community vaccination clinic on Friday, January 18, 2013.

The Health Department clinic on Friday will be conducted from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm in the Harford County Council Chambers located at 212 South Bond Street, Bel Air, MD, 21014. Both Flumist and injectable forms of the seasonal flu vaccine will be administered at the clinic. The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant and who do not have certain medical conditions. The “flu shot” can be given to people 6 months of age and older, including healthy individuals, pregnant women, and people with chronic medical conditions. Preservative free injectable vaccine will be available for infants ages six months to 36 months and for pregnant women.

Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly reminds the public of the importance of vaccination for preventing influenza as well as the potentially severe complications in children and adults the flu can cause. On average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu every year in the United States.

Vaccination is recommended for any person 6 months of age and older. Individuals at highest risk from flu complications include children younger than 5 years old, including children younger than 6 months of age who are too young to be vaccinated, children and adults with chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease and adults 65 years and older.

In addition to flu vaccination, the public is reminded to continue using other strategies to protect themselves from the flu. These include frequent and proper hand washing, cough etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes), avoiding close contact with others who are sick, and staying home from work and/or school when sick to avoid spreading your illness to others.

More information on seasonal influenza is available on the Harford County Health Department website, at www.harfordcountyhealth.com, or by calling 410-612-1781. Comprehensive flu information also is available by visiting or the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website at http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/influenza/SitePages/Home.aspx and the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.