With flu season here, health officials urge communities of color to get vaccinated:
Health authorities in the United States are advising people of all ages to get a flu vaccination if they haven’t already.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the flu season is the most widespread in a decade and the flu can cause serious illness and lead to hospitalization.
“Influenza is a serious virus, and it can be especially dangerous to certain age groups,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “Because of this, flu vaccine is now recommended for all healthy people aged 6 months and older who have not been vaccinated.”
Health officials warn that the flu vaccine can be particularly effective in protecting against the A strain, which has been linked to the deaths of children and the hospitalizations of elderly people.
“I want to know how many deaths are caused by flu-H1N1,” asked Dr. Nancy Messonnier, associate director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, in a statement. “A flu B strain also can cause serious illness, but the mortality rate is higher for influenza A.”
Messonnier says the CDC is planning to hold an event on Monday to discuss the mortality rate with children.
The CDC’s recommendation comes as flu season is underway. Seasonal flu vaccines are recommended for people 6 months of age and older.
But for reasons that are not fully understood, flu vaccination rates have been low.
The CDC says this year’s flu immunization rates are better than the corresponding rates last year. Last year, the CDC said that the highest rate in the 10 years it has recorded flu vaccine coverage rates was 79 percent. In 2012, the rates were 78 percent, 71 percent in 2011 and 70 percent in 2010.
