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Flu Season Information

People recommended for vaccination during the 2008-09 flu season are:

Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
Pregnant women
People 50 years of age and older
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for
complications from flu, including:

Health care workers
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

Q: Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?
A: Some people should not be vaccinated without first consulting a physician. They include:

People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not licensed for use in this age group).
People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.

If you have questions about whether you should get a flu vaccine, consult your health-care provider.

Q: Will the flu shot make me sick?
A: No. You cannot get the flu (or any other illness) from the flu shot. If you get the flu immediately after getting a flu shot, you probably contracted it before getting the shot or during the two week period necessary for your body to build up an immunity.

How Does Seasonal Flu Differ From Pandemic Flu?

Seasonal Flu	Pandemic Flu
Outbreaks follow predictable seasonal patterns; occurs annually, usually in winter, in temperate climates	Occurs rarely (three times in 20th century - last in 1968)
Usually some immunity built up from previous exposure	No previous exposure; little or no pre-existing immunity
Healthy adults usually not at risk for serious complications; the very young, the elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions at increased risk for serious complications	Healthy people may be at increased risk for serious complications
Health systems can usually meet public and patient needs	Health systems may be overwhelmed
Vaccine developed based on known flu strains and available for annual flu season	Vaccine probably would not be available in the early stages of a pandemic
Adequate supplies of antivirals are usually available	Effective antivirals may be in limited supply
Average U.S. deaths approximately 36,000/yr	Number of deaths could be quite high (e.g., U.S. 1918 death toll approximately 675,000)
Symptoms: fever, cough, runny nose, muscle pain. Deaths often caused by complications, such as pneumonia.	Symptoms may be more severe and complications more frequent
Generally causes modest impact on society (e.g., some school closing, encouragement of people who are sick to stay home)	May cause major impact on society (e.g. widespread restrictions on travel, closings of schools and businesses, cancellation of large public gatherings)
Manageable impact on domestic and world economy	Potential for severe impact on domestic and world economy

Chart courtesy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Here you'll find news releases pertaining to public health matters that concern Dade County. News releases pertaining to the 10-County Northwest Georgia Public Health district can be found in the Newsroom.

Northwest Georgia Public Health