September 3, 2003

The Nassau County Department of Health reminds residents that the best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu and its complications is to get immunized every year. Immunization could prevent you from catching the flu or it could lessen the severity of the disease.

Remember, an individual cannot get the flu from the flu shot. The following are persons at highest risk who should be immunized. They include:

• People aged 65 and older
• Adults and children with chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders, including asthma
• Adults and children with chronic metabolic diseases, including diabetes, renal dysfunction and weakened immune systems
• Children and teenagers receiving long-term aspirin therapy
• Residents and staff of nursing homes and chronic care facilities
• Health care workers with direct patient contact
• Pregnant women with underlying medical conditions
• Healthy pregnant women who will be more than three months pregnant during flu season
• Children ages 6 months to 9 years who have never received a flu vaccine before

In addition, certain individuals are at increased risk for serious influenza-related complications and also should receive flu vaccine:

• People living in a home with individuals at highest risk for complications of influenza
• All adults aged 50 - 64 years
• All children between 6 months and 23 months
• People living in a home with, and care-givers of, children under 2 years of age
• Students and other people in colleges and other institutional settings
• Employees of health care facilities who do not have direct patient contact
• Other people who perform essential community services

All other adults and children age two years and older, who want to reduce their likelihood of becoming ill with flu should contact their health care providers to obtain vaccine.