Flu shots save lives
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 50,000 people die from influenza and pneumonia each year, making it the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Major threats from pneumococcal disease, measles, whooping cough and the flu (influenza) have been eliminated in those who choose to get vaccinated. These diseases and many others are all preventable thanks to medical innovations in vaccines. Required social distancing and masking had a major impact on last year’s flu season, decreasing the transmission of the flu virus from person to person. But with people once again gathering in larger groups, this coming flu season is predicted to be more serious than in years past. With a potentially fierce flu season approaching — and pneumonia accompanying it — please consider talking to your physician and scheduling your flu shot as soon as possible.
For more information, go to CDC.gov/flu or hip.phila.gov/DataReports/Influenza. You can also call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s immunizations hotline at 215-685-6748.
