Flu Season Information

— IT'S NOT TOO LATE —

The Washoe County Health District is now providing flu shots at the Health District Immunization Clinic. Following is information specific to the 2012-2013 flu season.

Visit Immunization Fees for Adults and Immunization Fees for Children for costs of flu and other vaccines.

We do not have FluMist available for adults or for children with private pay insurance. We do not have inactivated p-free for infants 6 - 35 months of age with private pay insurance.

For information about other locations offering flu vaccinations go to http://influencenevada.org/ and http://www.immunizenevada.org.

View our "I Got It, I Didn't Get It" video.

1. Influenza or flu is caused by a virus or viruses that usually are more active from fall through spring each year. So, to increase your chances of staying well during this period and reduce the possibility of transmitting flu to others, plan to get your flu vaccination as soon as possible.
2. This year the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization recommend EVERYONE age six months or older be vaccinated to protect against the flu.
3. On February 23, 2012 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that the Northern Hemisphere's 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccine contain the following three vaccine viruses:
   • an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
   • an A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like virus;
   • a B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus (from B/Yamagata lineage of viruses).
   While the H1N1 virus is the same, the H3N2 and B vaccine viruses are different from those that were selected for the Northern Hemisphere for the 2011-2012 influenza vaccine.
4. People at higher risk from flu complications include young children, people 65 years and older, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart disease or neurologic disease.
5. Appointments are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To schedule an appointment for up to one week in advance please call (775) 328-2402 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
6. For more information about flu from the CDC log onto www.cdc.gov/flu.

Preventive Actions to Stop the Spread of Germs

Information from the Center of Disease Control (CDC)

Everyday preventive actions are steps that people can take to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory illness, like flu.

They are not a substitute for vaccination.

These include the following personal and community actions:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sneeze or cough into the corner of your elbow. This will block the spread of droplets from your mouth or nose that could contain germs.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you or your child gets sick with a respiratory illness, like flu, limit contact with others as much as possible to help prevent spreading illness. Stay home (or keep your child home) for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to seek medical care or for other necessities. Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
• If an outbreak of flu or another illness occurs, follow your Dr. or Health Dept. advice. This may include information about how to increase distance between people and other measures.

How do I know if I have the flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

• fever *
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue
• sometimes diarrhea and vomiting
• Flu symptoms come on quickly - within a day (colds take longer to develop)

* - It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care.

However, some people are at high risk for developing flu-related complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season.

People at High Risk for Developing Flu-Related Complications

• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
• Adults 65 years of age and older
• Pregnant women

People who have:

• Asthma
• Neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders), stroke, intellectual disability (mental retardation), moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury].
• Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and cystic fibrosis)
• Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease)
• Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease)
• Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus)
• Kidney disorders
• Liver disorders
• Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders)
• Weakened immune system due to disease or medication (such as people with HIV or AIDS, or cancer, or those on chronic steroids)
• People younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy

How long should I stay home if I’m sick?

CDC recommends that you stay home for 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®.) You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.

What should I do while I’m sick?

Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, (for example to get medical care), wear a facemask if you have one, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or cough and sneeze into the corner of your elbow. Wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others.

Do I need to go to the emergency room if I am only a little sick?

No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill. If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room and you are not sick with the flu, you may catch it from people who do have it.

What are the emergency warning signs?

In children

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough