Neither should a cold prevent someone from getting a flu shot, nor is it too late in the season to get one, a nurse with CHANS Home Health Care said Wednesday.
Avanel Payne, R.N., said that she expects the recent death of a grade school-aged child in central Maine, caused by the flu, will “generate a lot of calls.” The victim was an otherwise healthy child, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
“I have tried to get another massive clinic going but I am going to try again because this is a perfect example of why we need it,” Payne said. “This is tragic about this child, wherever he or she is.”
CHANS is part of Mid Coast Hospital, which has been providing free flu shots to people since mid-September. Payne said that people can still get the vaccinations at doctor’s offices, or at pharmacies, where they would have to pay.
Payne was adamant in refuting the notion that people should not get a flu vaccination if they have a cold.
“This is not the case,” she said. “We go by CDC guidelines, and the CDC says you can get the shot if there’s no fever over 104. Everyone six months old to 100 should get vaccinated.”
Payne acknowledged that influenza struck Maine quite early this year — November as opposed to February. And while the risk is here, it’s far from too late to get the shot, she said.
“We started in September,” she said. “It’s not too late until June. It takes two weeks for immunity.”
CHANS has provided vaccinations to five area school dis- tricts and conducted many clinics.
“We did a ‘vote and vacc’ in Bath on Election Day,” Payne said. “There was an overwhelming response. We do not charge, but we accepted donations. We did not turn anyone away.”
lgrard@timesrecord.com
¦ WHEN SHOULD I get the vaccine?
Get the vaccine as soon as it is available in your area. Flu season usually peaks in January or February, but it can occur as late as May. Early immunization is the most effective, but it is not too late to get the vaccine in December, January, or beyond.
SOURCE: Flu. gov
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