The Iowa Department of Public Health released information Oct. 30 that the first death of the 2017-2018 flu season occurred when a central Iowan over the age of 80 died of the flu in October.
The Dallas County Public Health Department, backed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends flu vaccines for everyone over the age of 6 months.
If you get your vaccine now before the holiday season, your body will have the two weeks needed to achieve full immunization against the flu virus before holiday gatherings start.
Here are a few things to remember about influenza:
- The flu hits suddenly and can last from two to seven days, causing fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches.
- The flu is spread through respiratory droplets in the air from coughs and sneezes and by touching surfaces exposed to the droplets, such as doorknobs, phones, keyboards, etc.
- Influenza does not cause diarrhea and vomiting — usually this is from norovirus.
- The flu is a virus, so antibiotics are not effective against it.
Where can you get a flu vaccine? The best choice is at the clinic you normally go to. If you don’t have a primary clinic, call the Health Navigators at Dallas County Public Health at 515-465-2483.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
