Virginia Department of Health: Get vaccinated, because flu season is here

Flu season is under way, and the Virginia Department of Health is reminding everyone to get their annual influenza vaccine.

In last year’s flu season, there was a record high hospitalization rate in the U.S.

The nation also recorded the highest number of pediatric deaths during a regular, non-pandemic season. Virginia had six flu-related pediatric deaths last year and 366 influenza outbreaks.

In the Central Shenandoah Health District, there were more than 2,000 cases of the flu last season.

“The flu is not a mild illness,” said Dr. Allison Baroco, acting health director for CSHD.

Flu season generally runs from October to late May, and it often has the highest rates of infection in January and February.

The CSHD recommends a flu shot every season for two reasons:

• The body’s immune response from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection
• Flu viruses are constantly changing, the formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed each year and updated to keep up with changing flu viruses

The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, recommends flu vaccines for everyone in the U.S. six months and older.

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The flu is highly contagious and generally spreads from person-to-person when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can be transmitted even before flu-like symptoms appear. A person usually becomes sick one to three days following exposure to the virus.

Typical flu symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches and extreme fatigue.

“Even though we experience flu season every year, it’s important to make sure you are protected each annual flu season by getting vaccinated,” Baroco said.

“Flu shots help maintain the health of our whole community.”

The VDH dashboard tracking respiratory illness in the Commonwealth shows very low flu rates at this time.

For information, call the Staunton-Augusta Health Department at (540) 332-7830 or read more here.