The Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Hospital Association, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama put out a joint statement on Wednesday encouraging Alabamians to get a flu shot with their No Time for Flu campaign.
ADPH has launched a new website with helpful information and additional resources to help stop the spread of the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu vaccination as early as possible, preferably in September or October; however, getting vaccinated anytime during the flu season can protect the vaccine can help reduce the risk of flu and associated hospitalizations and deaths.
According to the CDC, one person with the flu can infect other people one day before any symptoms develop and up to approximately seven days after a person becomes sick. The influenza virus can spread to others up to six feet away, mainly when people cough, sneeze or talk.
The flu causes U.S. employees to miss approximately 17 million workdays at an estimated $7 billion a year in sick days and lost productivity.
The CDC estimates that in the 2019-2020 flu season, the vaccine prevented approximately 6,300 deaths.
Remember to wash hands frequently and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Please stay home and don’t go to work or school when you are sick.
According to the CDC, influenza (flu) can cause mild to severe illness and can, at times, lead to death. Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
· fever or feeling feverish/chills – not everyone with the flu will have a fever
· cough
· sore throat
· runny or stuffy nose
· muscle or body aches
· headaches
· fatigue (tiredness)
· some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
The flu can lead to serious complications, including sinus and ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), brain (encephalitis) or muscle tissues (myositis, rhabdomyolysis), and multi-organ failure (for example, respiratory and kidney failure). Flu virus infection of the respiratory tract can trigger an extreme inflammatory response in the body and can lead to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection. Flu also can make chronic medical problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic heart disease may experience a worsening of this condition triggered by the flu. Flu in pregnant women can be severe.
Please contact your doctor with any health concerns.
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