Thank you very much for your Wednesday editorial, “Get a flu shot, no excuses” and Sharon Salyer’s most recent article about flu in our area.Every year I dread having to announce the first flu death in our county. Yet immediately after the sad headline, I always see renewed interest in getting the vaccine that prevents the illness from spreading in our community. I appreciate your active endorsement of vaccination to fight the flu.
There are a lot of different kinds of flu virus. Each flu season’s vaccine targets the three or four specific strains of flu that sickened people the most in the last flu season. It’s a unique mix from season to season. That’s why you need to get a fresh shot once a year at the start of a new flu season. It is not possible to get the flu from the vaccine because it’s made with dead virus material — nothing live.
Please visit our Facebook page to see a list of free flu shot clinics in January: www.facebook.com/SnohomishHealth. Make 2014 a healthy one for yourself and the people around you.
Suzanne Pate
Public Information Officer
Snohomish Health District
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