Influenza
Vaccine Recommendations
Please call your local health department or the influenza hotline
at 1-800-275-0659 to
inquire about availability. Click
here to see local health department phone numbers.
Who
should be vaccinated?
The
following groups are considered high priority and should seek
influenza vaccination as soon as possible.
-
children
6 months to 18 years of age
-
adults
50 years of age and older
-
persons
2 years to 64 years with chronic medical conditions*
-
all
women who will be pregnant during influenza season
-
residents
of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
-
children
6 months to 18 years of age on long-term aspirin therapy
-
health-care
workers with direct patient care, and
-
out-of-home
caregivers and household contacts of children <6 months of
age.
Persons in the priority
groups, and those caring for them, should search locally for vaccine
if their regular health care provider does not have vaccine
available.
Who should not be vaccinated?
The following groups should not be vaccinated without
first consulting a physician:
- people
who are allergic to eggs;
- people
who have had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose
of influenza vaccine;
- people
who previously developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
after receiving influenza vaccine;
- people
with a moderate to severe acute illness should not be vaccinated
until their symptoms have decreased.
What
about the nasal vaccine, FluMist?
Healthy
individuals aged 2-49 years who are not pregnant may get the live
attenuated vaccine (nasal spray). This includes health care workers
and contacts of children less than 6 months of age. The live attenuated
vaccine should not be used for health care workers who care for
severely immunocompromised patients. For more information on FluMist
you may visit their website at: www.flumist.com
Where
can I go to get vaccinated?
Information
about providers and clinics that have vaccine can be obtained
by calling your health care provider, local
health department or the UDOH’s
Immunization webpage or hotline at 1-800-275-0659.
What else can I do to protect myself and others
from the flu?
UDOH recommends
the following simple steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory
illnesses like influenza:
-
Avoid
close contact with people who are sick and keep your distance
from others when you are sick.
-
Wash
your hands often.
-
Cover
your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
-
Stay
home when you are sick.
-
Use
alternative greetings to handshaking during the flu season.
*Persons
with chronic medical conditions include those with pulmonary illnesses
such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or asthma; cardiovascular
illnesses, such as congestive heart failure; chronic metabolic diseases
(including diabetes mellitus); kidney dysfunction; hemoglobinopathies
such as sickle cell anemia; immunosuppression (including immunosuppression
caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]).
fa 9/17/2007
