WJHG - Medical Minute - Headlines

Get Your Flu Shot!

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By: Elizabeth Prann Email
Updated: Tue 3:37 PM, Nov 25, 2008

Have you noticed more people calling in sick lately? That is a sure sign that the flu season is fast approaching...

People looking for a flu shot have no excuse this year.

Florida Legislature passed last year allows trained pharmacists to administer flu shots and the bay medical pharmacists are doing just that.

NewsChannel Seven's Elizabeth Prann took advantage of that new rule, and let the pharmacist give her a shot...

Bay Medical Pharmacy has about 500 flu vaccines available and walk-ins are welcome.

It's $25 a vaccine.

It could prevent you from getting a fever, the chills, a sore throat, achy bones and nausea-- all the common symptoms that infect thousands each year.

Just last year the flu caused 230,000 hospitalizations and about 36,000 deaths

"The flu can take out a whole office, you can see that in some offices where one person brings the flu in and then they'll transmit it to all the workers and those lost days can be really hard, especially right now for a company so you want to make sure all your employees are vaccinated," said Laura Gould of Bay Medical Pharmacy.

Another option is the nasal vaccine known as FluMist. It is a bit more expensive, but some doctors say it is even more effective than the shots, and less painful, especially for children.

FluMist is a needle-free flu vaccine — a nasal mist sprayed into the nose, where the flu virus usually enters the body; just a quick spray in each nostril.

Once administered by your healthcare provider, FluMist helps your body develop proteins called antibodies that help protect you from the flu.

Like the Chickenpox vaccine, FluMist is a weakened live virus vaccine. That means it is made from a live virus that has been designed so as not to cause the flu.

If you want more information you can reach the pharmacy at 850-747-6018


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