As the 2017-2018 flu season approaches, Whittier Street Health Center encourages all to get vaccinated and to do so early. Research has shown that the vaccine against Influenza (flu) only becomes effective two (2) weeks after administration. In other words, the sooner you and your family receive the vaccine, the sooner you become fully protected and, therefore, the less likely you are to become ill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the 2015-2016 flu season, approximately 310,000 people were hospitalized for flu-related illnesses. Consequences, aside from higher healthcare costs and poor health outcomes for individuals and families, include lost wages, lower workforce productivity, and increases in missed school days for school-aged children, leading to poor academic performance.

The flu can also be deadly: In 1918, a worldwide flu pandemic dubbed “Spanish Flu” led to the death of millions – more people died as result of the Spanish flu pandemic than did during the First World War. More recently, the CDC reported that, from 2010-2011 to 2013-2014, influenza-associated deaths in the United States ranged from a low of 12,000 to a high of 56,000.

Whittier offers the flu vaccine as early as late August to early September, and accommodates most schedules through walk-in flu clinics staffed by competent and experienced nurses. Please encourage your families, friends, and neighbors to walk in, register, and get vaccinated at Whittier. Join us in the fight against the spread of the flu, so that we may keep our communities strong and productive all year round.