The Seasonal Flu vaccine is different from the H1N1 Flu Vaccine. Guidelines for the H1N1 Flu Vaccine are established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Please visit their website at www. cdc.gov for more information on when the vaccine will be available and to whom. You should also check with your personal physician for more information.

Facts About the Seasonal Flu

• What is Influenza (Also Called Flu)?
• Preventing the Flu: Get Vaccinated
• When to Get Vaccinated
• Who Should Get Vaccinated?
• Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?
• If I got my flu shot late last year, do I still need to get another flu shot for this flu season?
• How to Get Your Vaccination

What is Influenza (Also Called Flu)?

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe illness, and can at times even include death.

Every year in the United States, on average:
• 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
• More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications; and
• About 36,000 people die from flu.

Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at increased risk for serious flu complications.

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Preventing the Flu: Get Vaccinated

The single best way to reduce your chance of suffering from the flu is to get a flu vaccination each year. There are two types of vaccines:

• The "flu shot" – an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
• The nasal-spray flu vaccine – a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for "Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine"). Click to download the Vaccine Information Statement for LAIV. LAIV is approved for use in healthy people 5 years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

About two weeks after vaccination, antibodies develop that protect against influenza virus infection. Flu vaccines will not protect against flu-like illnesses caused by non-influenza viruses.

This flu vaccine is different from the H1N1 Flu Vaccine. Guidelines for the H1N1 Flu Vaccine are established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Please visit their website at www.cdc.gov for more information on when the vaccine will be available and to whom. You should also check with your personal physician for more information.

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When to Get Vaccinated

Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January, and beyond. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary.

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Who Should Get Vaccinated?

In general, anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, certain people should get vaccinated each year either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for high risk persons.

People who should get vaccinated each year are:

1. Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
1. Health care workers
2. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
3. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
7. Anyone who wants to decrease their risk of influenza

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Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?

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 approved for use in this age group); and
• 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 healthcare provider.

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If I got my flu shot late last year, do I still need to get another flu shot for this flu season?

Yes, each year's flu shot is formulated differently. Therefore, each year's vaccine will protect you from slightly different circulating flu viruses. It is important to get your flu shot every year. Last year's flu shot will not provide you with sufficient immunity this year.

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How To Get Your Vaccination

• Work site: Available free of charge to employer groups who have 17 or more participants interested in receiving the flu shot. Non-members may also be participants at a discounted rate, although priority is given to members.
• Visit a participating Longs Drugs Store: Free of charge to UHA members 18 years of age or older. Note: The 2009 Longs Drugs flu shot clinics ended in early October. Please contact your primary physician to schedule a vaccination.
• See Your Healthcare Provider: There may be a charge for administration of the vaccine.
• At School: Through a partnership between the State of Hawaii Departments of Health and Education, the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and Hawaii Catholic Schools, the School-based Vaccination Program offers FREE seasonal flu vaccine at all Hawaii elementary and middle schools. For more information, visit the Hawaii State Department of Health website, or call Aloha United Way's 2-1-1 hotline for program details.
  

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