From the Harford County Health Department:
In recognition and support of National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), the Harford County Health Department has announced it will conduct four additional “drop-in” seasonal influenza vaccination clinics for the general public next week, providing two each on Tuesday, December 7th and Friday, December 10th from 1:00 and 4:00pm at separate County locations. The first is at their Administrative Offices located at 120 South Hays Street in Bel Air. The other is at their Community Services Center located in Aberdeen at 34 North Philadelphia Boulevard.
No appointments are necessary. Seasonal FluMist or injectable vaccine will be provided at no cost to Harford County elementary, middle and high school students. The charge for adults is $20 payable by check, cash or charge. Medicare Part B also will be accepted. The Fluzone High-Dose Flu Vaccine, a stronger vaccine targeted for persons 65 years of age and older also will be available. Medicare Part B also covers the cost of this vaccine, but for those who do not have Medicare Part B, the cost for the Fluzone High-Dose Flu Vaccine is $30, also payable by cash, check or charge.
Health Department Public Information Officer Bill Wiseman indicated that because of a recent incident involving water damage that closed parts of their Woodbridge Station location in Edgewood to the public this past week, that facility was not considered in scheduling additional flu clinics during National Influenza Vaccination Week.
As an additional NIVW initiative, Health Department staff will be providing age appropriate second-dose vaccinations at public elementary schools on Thursday December 9th.
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance taking place this year December 5 – 11, 2010 that was established to highlight the importance of influenza vaccination. It also serves to promote greater use of flu vaccine throughout the holiday season into January and beyond, at a time when demand for vaccine usually drops significantly. One of the goals for NIVW is to engage at-risk audiences who are not yet vaccinated, hesitant about vaccination, or unsure about where to get vaccinated.
Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly reminds the public that, “Influenza is not a disease to be taken lightly. It is critical to our community’s greatest public health interests that everyone understands the unpredictable nature of influenza and how serious an impact seasonal flu could have in the coming months. We know that the more people who receive flu vaccine, the less likely it is that influenza disease will spread in the coming months.”
For people who do not get vaccinated, the risks are twofold. First, they put themselves at risk for the flu, including a potentially long and serious illness. Second, if they do get sick, they also put their close contacts at immediate risk for influenza. Flu can be especially serious for babies, young children, pregnant women, persons with certain chronic medical conditions, and seniors, who are at high risk of flu-related complications or death.
For additional information, visit the www.harfordcountyhealth.com website at or call 410-612-1779.
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