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Cleveland Clinic is holding seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination clinics at its facilities throughout Northeast Ohio. Information on the clinics, including dates, times and locations, can be found at www.clevelandclinic.org/flu.
The flu is contagious and can cause serious respiratory illness. The timing of seasonal flu activity is very unpredictable and can vary, but most typically occurs between October and May. Everyone six months and older should get a flu vaccination every year by the end of October, if possible, as it can take two to four weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection to develop in the body. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk for developing flu complications, such as adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, and children younger than age five.
“Getting vaccinated each year provides the best protection against flu throughout the season,” said Susan Rehm, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic. “By getting vaccinated, you can protect yourself and those around you. It’s important to remember that flu is a serious illness, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths each year.”
In addition to getting the vaccine, you can take flu-prevention measures all season long, such as staying away from sick people and washing your hands to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick with flu, stay home from work or school to prevent spreading flu to others. In addition, there are prescription antiviral medications that can be used to treat influenza illness.
This season, only injectable flu shots are recommended for use; data has shown the nasal spray flu vaccine provided poor or low protection against the flu between 2013 and 2016.
For more information, please visit www.clevelandclinic.org/flu.
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 49,000 employees are more than 3,400 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, nine community hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in Weston, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2015, there were 6.6 million outpatient visits, 164,700 hospital admissions and 208,807 surgical cases throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 180 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.
