Flu season will begin in late fall and there’s nothing wrong with getting ahead of the crowd and getting your vaccine as soon as it’s available. Skip the long lines and get your flu shot at Walker’s Drug Store.
With winter soon approaching, the flu season is set to commence again. It’s not too early to get vaccinated yet as manufacturers have already started sending out their 2019-2020 vaccines. You can skip the long wait lines and hassle by getting your flu shot at Walker’s Drug Store.
Influenza illness, more commonly know as the flu, is caused by the influenza virus. It’s a quickly spreading virus that presents with a high fever, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and a dry cough. The flu can also sometimes cause vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea, (particularly in young children). These symptoms progressively worsen over the first few days. While it’s possible to get better without medical care, some people are at a higher risk of dangerous complications. These include pregnant women, children, those over 65, people with chronic diseases. Each year, flu epidemics cause 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 deaths around the globe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). During recent years in the United States, between 12,000 and 56,000 people have died annually from the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Influenza has been around for centuries but recent strains of the virus have been shown to affect people in different ways.
There are many different flu viruses and they are constantly changing. The composition of U.S. flu vaccines is reviewed annually and updated as needed to match circulating flu viruses identified by the CDC. At Walker’s Drug Store, we administer the quadrivalent vaccine which is covered by most insurance. The Quadrivalent (four-component) vaccines are recommended to contain A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus (updated), A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus (updated), B/Colorado/06/2017-like (Victoria lineage) virus plus B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (Yamagata lineage) virus. These four vaccines are intended to attack the four types of Influenza (Orthomyxoviridae) virus that exist – A and B, which are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics in people; C, which is relatively rare, causes a mild respiratory illness, and is not thought to cause epidemics; and D, which primarily infects cattle and isn’t known to affect people. (history.com).
Routine annual vaccination is recommended by the end of October for all individuals at least 6 months of age and older who do not have contraindications. Our pharmacy offers vaccinations to people 14 years of age and older, from September until spring of the new year (2020). For pediatric patients, 13 or younger, we will have a nurse come in at specially scheduled times to cater to them, so don’t forget to ask us about this service. We also have a high dose for seniors, 65+.
So with the flu season just around the corner, there’s no harm in getting a step ahead and getting your flu vaccines administered early. An annual vaccine is the best prevention for the flu virus, and we believe that prevention is always better than a cure. Call us or come into our store to learn more about our vaccination service and when the nurse will be available to vaccinate our 13-and-younger patients. Walker’s Drug store, over 100 years of caring for our community!