The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months old or older get their flu shot this Flu Season, and the Clark County Combined Health District is offering many influenza vaccination clinics at its East Home Road location and across Clark County to help protect our community.

This year’s flu season will be very different from last year. Each spring, health officials do their best to predict which three types of influenza are most likely to spread around the world. All three strains are included together in the seasonal flu shot “cocktail,” and someone who gets the flu shot develops a level of immunity to all three. However, in April 2009 a new strain called the H1N1 emerged as the most important strain to spread around the world, and this happened after the seasonal flu shot “cocktail” was in production. A separate flu shot for this new H1N1 strain was then made and therefore two different flu shots were available to the public during last year’s flu season.

Health officials do not expect a separate pandemic flu strain to emerge this year that will require two different shots like last year. While flu is unpredictable, it is likely that 2009 H1N1 viruses and regular seasonal viruses will cause illness in the U.S. this flu season. The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season.

All adults and children 6 months of age and older should get the flu vaccine. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe influenza and their close contacts, including healthcare personnel and close contacts of infants less than 6 months old.

Most people will need only the one seasonal flu shot this year to gain protection from the flu. As always, some children will need two shots of the same seasonal flu vaccine, depending on their vaccine history.

The 2010-11 seasonal flu shot will be available from the Clark County Combined Health District beginning on October 1^st. This will be the first of the Health District’s “Friday Morning Flu Clinics” and will be held at the Health District’s location of 529 East Home Road in Springfield from 7:00 AM until 11:00 AM. There will be a $15.00 charge for each dose of the vaccine, although no one will be denied this vaccination due to the inability to pay. The Health District accepts traditional Medicare Part B, all forms of Ohio Medicaid, and some Anthem plans. Individuals with other health care coverage types will be provided with paper documentation that they may use to seek reimbursement from their respective insurance companies.

The intranasal form of the seasonal flu vaccine, known as FluMist, is available from the Health District, while supplies last, for children up through the age of 18 years old at the “Friday Morning Flu Clinics” held at the Health District from 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Adults 19 years of age and older may choose to contact their health care providers or pharmacy to ask about the availability of FluMist, as the Health District’s supply can only be offered to eligible children.

To serve and protect members of our community with limited mobility, beginning at the October 1^st clinic and during each “Friday Morning Flu Clinic” (7:00 AM – 11:00 AM) there will be a “drive through” option available. The Health District has a limited capacity to offer this option, so only people who are unable to walk into the Health District building will be able to take advantage of it.

In addition to our “Friday Morning Flu Clinics”, the Clark County Combined Health District will be holding many other flu clinics around Clark County during this flu season. A complete listing of all Health District flu clinics is available at the Health District office on East Home Road and at www.ccchd.com. Clinic schedules will also be published in the local newspaper.

Receiving an influenza vaccination is one of the most effective ways people can avoid getting the flu and developing complications from it. The Health District reminds residents that the best way to avoid catching the disease is by thorough hand washing. Also helpful is the practice of “respiratory etiquette”, meaning discarding used tissues, covering the nose and mouth when coughing, and avoiding crowded places if sickness occurs.