CDC: Americans Should Get a Flu Shot This Season

Officials with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) announced yesterday, September 21, that last fly season saw 130.9 million Americans get a flu shot. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urge all citizens to do the same for the upcoming flu season.

At this point, there is no way of knowing what strand of flu will hit the United States, or other parts of the world. This is why people should take all necessary precautions, and at least get a vaccine against known strains that ravished the country in past years.

CDC experts say that last year's statistics were very encouraging, since they show an 8 million people increase in the numbers of those who got a vaccine, as compared to 2009 levels. The 2010 figures amount to about 43 percent of the entire population.

The director of the CDC, Dr. Thomas Frieden, says that getting a flue shot is the best way for individuals to protect themselves, their families, their communities and their workplaces. Having immunity against the virus will reduce the number of victims it makes every year.

This announcement was made at an NFID news conference yesterday, LiveScience reports. “For most people, the flu makes them sick for a few days, but for others – especially children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions – it can be life-threatening,” Frieden told attendants.

Last year, the CDC recommended that all people aged 6 or older should get a flu shot. The organization maintains the same recommendations for the upcoming 2011 flu season as well. Experts think that this is the best way to protect as many people as possible.

The decision implies that people should have no second-thoughts about protecting themselves. “Our goal is to make annual influenza vaccination a no-brainer,” Dr. William Schaffner, NFID president and Vanderbilt University Department of Preventive Medicine chairman, explained.

To better underline his own point, Frieden accepted his own flu vaccine in front of attendants and cameras, during the meeting. He explained that he wants to “lead by example” in CDC's renewed effort to curb the spread of flu epidemics.

For this year, people will have four types of vaccines available – the standard one, a nasal spray solution, a special dose of injectable vaccine for seniors, and an intradermal vaccine, which is delivered via a very fine needle just under the skin.

NFID statistics indicate that as many as 200,000 people require hospitalization every single year as a result of flu infection. Between 3,000 and 49,000 people die yearly from the condition, as evidenced by data available for 1976-2006.