Ringgold County Public Health has both flu shots and FluMist available for children age 6 months to 18 years to help keep them healthy this flu season. Please call the Public Health office (641-464-0691) to schedule a time to come in for your vaccination.
Flu vaccine is recommended every year. Children 6 months through 8 years of age should get two doses the first year they get vaccinated. The FluMist is available only to people 2 through 49 years of age, who are not pregnant and who do not have asthma or wheezing problems. The FluMist that is still available at the Public Health Office is for children 2 -18 years of age.
Flu viruses are always changing. Each year’s flu vaccine is made to protect from viruses that are most likely to cause disease that year. While flu vaccine cannot prevent all cases, it is our best defense against the disease. It takes about 2 weeks for protection to develop after the vaccination, and protection lasts several months to a year.
Anyone can get flu, but the risk of getting flu is highest among children. Symptoms come on suddenly and may last several days. They can include:
fever/chills
sore throat
muscle aches
fatigue
cough
headache
runny or stuffy nose
Flu can make some people much sicker than others. These people include young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease, or a weakened immune system. Flu vaccine is especially important for these people, and anyone in close contact with them.