Virginia Department of Health Influenza Season Update Information
Virginia Department of Health Influenza Vaccination Guidelines
Influenza Activity in Virginia, Surveillance Program
2007-2008 Virginia Influenza Season Summary Report (Full Report)
2007-2008 Virginia Influenza Season Summary Report (Abridged Report)
Chesapeake Health Department is currently offering flu shots at any scheduled immunization clinic at either the South Norfolk Health Center or the Great Bridge clinic. These are walk-in clinics and no appointment is necessary. The schedules for each of those clinics follow:
| South Norfolk Health Center 490 Liberty Street Chesapeake, VA 23324 |
Mondays and Wednesdays; 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm |
| Great Bridge Clinic 748 Battlefield Blvd. North Chesapeake, VA 23320 |
Mondays (adults only); 8:30 am to 10:30 am Tuesdays and Thursdays; 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Wednesdays; 8:30 am to 11:00 am |
The cost is $30 per shot. Medicare, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield (PPO), Anthem Healthkeepers (HMO), cash or check will be accepted as methods of payment. Please make sure to have your insurance cards with you. In addition to the above methods of payment, Visa is accepted at all clinics held at the Great Bridge outpatient center of the Chesapeake Health Department. For further information please call 382-8655 or 382-8690.
With winter and the holidays comes cold and flu season. We see different people, more people, and tend to stay in warm, confined places. All of these things can lead to more sicknesses. Often when people become ill during the winter, they assume they have "the flu." While symptoms for some of these illnesses are "flu-like," the cause may not be influenza. Here is a list of common winter symptoms and the viruses that can cause them:
Respiratory symptoms (congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat) can be caused by:
-- Influenza
-- Parainfluenza
-- Respiratory Syncytial Virus
-- Rhinoviruses ("common cold"- over 100 different types)
-- Adenoviruses
Gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, nausea, diarrhea) can be caused by:
-- Rotavirus
-- Norovirus
-- Enteroviruses (may also cause respiratory symptoms)
-- Adenoviruses
-- Caliciviruses
-- Astroviruses
Only two of the viruses mentioned above (influenza and rotavirus) are currently preventable by immunization. Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, getting enough rest, staying home when ill, coughing into your elbow, and eating a well-balanced diet may decrease your chances of getting sick or passing an illness to others.
And remember, if you think you have "the flu," you may not actually have influenza!