Protect Yourself and Those You Love for the Holidays:
Get Vaccinated Against the Flu!
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CDC established National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) in 2005 to highlight the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond. NIVW is scheduled for December 6-12, 2015.- Flu vaccination coverage estimates from past years have shown that influenza vaccination activity drops quickly after the end of November. CDC and its partners want to remind you that even though the holiday season has arrived, it is not too late to get your flu vaccine.
- As long as flu viruses are spreading and causing illness, vaccination can provide protection against the flu and should continue.
- Even if you haven’t yet been vaccinated and have already gotten sick with one flu virus, you can still benefit from vaccination since the flu vaccine protects against three or four different flu viruses (depending on which flu vaccine you get).
- CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against influenza disease.
- Another goal of NIVW is to communicate the importance of flu vaccination for people who are at high risk for developing flu-related complications.
- People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with certain chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease or lung disease, and people aged 65 years and older.
- For people at high risk, getting the flu can mean developing serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia, or a worsening of existing health conditions, which can lead to hospitalization or death.
- A full list of “People at High Risk of Developing Flu–Related Complications” is available.
Learn more about influenza vaccination at www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw/nivw-key-points.htm.
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Reference: All information is from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw/nivw-key-points.htm