Influenza or “flu” is a serious contagious disease that kills thousands every year and is the most frequent cause of death from a vaccine preventable disease in the United States.
Minnesota influenza outbreaks typically occur between December through April. Antibodies develop about 2 weeks after getting the vaccine, but drops in the elderly and those with immuno-compromising diseases.
Riverwood Healthcare Center will offer flu clinics for the public by appointment at all three of its clinics on the dates and times listed here.
Aitkin clinic: Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 12, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Garrison clinic: Oct.12, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
McGregor clinic: Oct. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 12, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To make an appointment, call Riverwood’s toll-free flu line at (888) 303-4550. The flu clinics schedule is also posted at www.riverwoodhealthcare.org
In Aitkin only, evening walk-in clinics from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will be held on Oct. 12 and 26. No appointment is needed.
“Last year was a moderate flu season that peaked later in March, but the year before was one of the worse seasons in recent years with high rates of hospitalizations and mortality in pediatric and elderly persons,” said Michelle Farber, Riverwood infection preventionist. “Each influenza season is unpredictable, but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to recommend that everyone aged 6 months or older receive an influenza vaccine every year. One big change for the 2016-2017 season is that CDC recommends only injectable influenza vaccines is used. Live attenuated influenza vaccine (also known as the nasal spray or Flu Mist) is not recommended for use during 2016-2017 because of CDCs concerns about effectiveness.”
The high-dose injectable inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine called Fluzone® High-Dose will be available for persons over 65, which has four times the amount of antigen as regular-dose inactivated influenza vaccines to create a stronger immune response. Results from a clinical trial of more than 30,000 participants showed that adults aged 65 years and older who received the high-dose vaccine had 24% fewer influenza infections compared with those who received a standard-dose influenza vaccine.
The Quadrivalent inactivated injectable influenza vaccines manufactured using virus grown in eggs will be available again this season for persons 6 months and older. The composition has been updated to better match more recently circulating influenza viruses. Also available again this season is a recombinant trivalent influenza vaccine that is egg-free called Flublok®. This vaccine is approved for people aged 18 years old and older with an egg allergy.
Another change in the CDC influenza vaccination recommendations relates to the guidance for the vaccination of egg-allergic people such that any vaccine can be administered if supervised by a health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic conditions.
“While the flu vaccine does not always protect us from getting influenza, research shows that receiving a flu vaccine each year can reduce the risk of hospitalizations, pneumonia, and death,” Farber added. “At Riverwood, we are committed to keeping our hospital and clinic patients safe and we urge community members to get flu shots, cover their coughs or sneezes, perform hand hygiene, and refrain from visiting our campus when you are ill.”
