October 18, 2011
(MARTINSVILLE, Va.) – Starting this week, the Henry-Martinsville Health Department will offer seasonal flu vaccine on a walk-in basis at the health department offices at 295 Commonwealth Blvd. in Martinsville. No appointment is needed. The vaccine will be available each Monday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m.; and each Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Health department clinics accept Medicaid, Medicare, VA Premier and Anthem insurance. The cost for those without insurance is $30.
“Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza and its potentially severe complications,” said Gordon Green, M.D., director of the West Piedmont Health District (Virginia Department of Health). “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virginia Department of Health recommend that all persons age six months and older be vaccinated annually. The vaccine takes full effect within two weeks and its benefits last for up to a year.”
Influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is a serious disease caused by the influenza virus that affects the respiratory tract. It is highly contagious and generally spreads from person-to-person when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can be transmitted even before flu-like symptoms appear. A person usually becomes sick one to three days following exposure to the virus. Typical flu symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue.
Each year in the U.S. approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized due to flu illness, and flu-related deaths range from 3,000 to 49,000 each year, averaging 24,000 per year over the last three decades.
To minimize your risk of contracting or transmitting the flu, follow these simple steps:
- Get vaccinated;
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly (20 seconds minimum);
- Cover your cough, either by using a disposable tissue or coughing into your sleeve, not your hand; and
- Stay at home when you are sick.
For more information, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov or call the West Piedmont Health District at 276-638-2311.