Thursday, January 17, 2013
Several major pharmacies were out of the flu vaccination early this week but are expected to get shipments in soon.
More than 7,000 Boston residents received their flu shots last weekend, following Mayor Thomas Menino’s declaration of a public health emergency. As of Tuesday, the virus had led to at least eight confirmed deaths in the city, including one child under the age of six and seven adults over age 65, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “We have over 900 confirmed cases and eight deaths [in Boston],” Ferrer said. “Influenza-like illness at emergency rooms is running at a little over 5 percent [of all cases], which is very, very high.” Despite the city's ongoing issues with the virus, Ferrer said she was pleased with the turnout over the weekend at Boston clinics. “We vaccinated over 7,000…
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Boston officials are urging all residents ages 6 months and up to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu.
With the mayor declaring the city's influenza outbreak to be a "public health emergency," officials are working to set up a large number of free immunization sites around the city this weekend. All Boston residents ages six months and older are eligible to receive free immunizations against the seasonal flu. Boston Public Health Commission officials are hoping to see thousands of residents get their flu shots this weekend—in particular, those who are most at risk for health complications related to the flu, such as children under five years of age, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease and kidney problems. All clinics are open to residents of any neighborhood and do not …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
City health officials want "thousands" to get vaccinated this weekend.
Mayor Thomas Menino and Boston health officials are asking residents of all ages to get flu vaccinations this weekend, during a series of free clinics set up to battle what Menino declared as a “public health emergency.” During a press conference held Wednesday afternoon at Parkman House on Beacon Hill, Menino urged residents to protect themselves against “an increasingly tough flu season” by getting vaccinated. “We are less than halfway through the flu season, but Boston has already seen about 700 confirmed cases of the flu since Oct. 1. That’s 10 times the amount of total cases we saw all of last year,” Menion said. “Today, we are announcing that this weekend in partnership with our community health centers, we will be offering free flu …
Outbreaks are peaking earlier than normal in the area.
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Wednesday, January 9
The Red Cross said there's still time for folks to get flu shots and be covered from what is considered to be a more active flu season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said flu outbreaks are high for this time of the season, with "widespread activity" in Massachusetts. In Boston this year, there have been 700 confirmed flu cases, and 4 deaths. Last year, the city only had 70 confirmed cases. How do you prevent the flu? According to the CDC, in addition to getting the vaccine, you can: How do you know if you have the virus? Symptoms include: high fever, severe body aches, headache, being extremely tired, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and vomiting and/or diarrhea, which is more common in children. When should you call the …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Here's where to get an influenza vaccine, how to recognize symptoms and what to know about treatment if you get sick.
Flu season is coming early in parts of the United States: This time last year, flu cases were lower in Massachusetts than they are now, according to data on Google's Flu Trends. Overall in Massachusetts, activity is considered high now, while it was considered moderate at this time in 2011, according to Flu Trends. If you're considering getting a flu shot, here are some places in and around the South End that offer the vaccine: According to this week's CDC Flu activity report, influenza levels are on the increase across the country. Five states—Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee—are reporting flu rates not normally seen until January, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The flu season normally peaks in January and…
