As flu season begins, the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services is urging people to get their flu shots. The week of September 27th, there were 150 flu cases reported in Missouri, some in Greene County.
The administrator of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department’s Division of Communicable Disease Prevention, Stephanie Woehl, said flu season lasts from October to mid-May. She said, while it affects the entire population, the flu can especially impact older and medically vulnerable populations. She encourages people to get the flu vaccine as as soon as they can.
"It is recommended to get your vaccine before the end of October so that your body has an opportunity to build those defenses right before, you know, we go into holiday seasons and hanging out with friends and family," she said.
Vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization and flu-related death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu vaccines are available at a variety of locations.
“The flu vaccines are pretty readily available in the community," said Woehl. “There are doctors’ offices that have it available and local public health departments. For individuals that do not have insurance, we have the flu vaccine here through our children and adult vaccination programs and some pharmacies that also have programs for those individuals as well.”
Vaccines are recommended for anyone six months and older.
Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
The department is also recommending getting the Covid-19 vaccine alongside the flu vaccine. Woehl said a new Covid vaccine is available.
Woehl said people can help prevent the spread of viral illness by washing their hands, covering their mouth when sneezing or coughing and staying home when they're not feeling well.