CDC Experts Address Flu Questions on Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook Forum
Nov 16, 2014
Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This recommendation has been in place since 2010 when CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination to expand protection against the flu to more people. Since then flu vaccination rates have been gradually increasing, with the 20013-2014 season resulting in 46.2% off all people 6 months of age and older getting vaccinated.
While these rising rates are encouraging, there is room for improvement. Last year, more than 105 flu-related deaths were reported among children, and nearly 60% of the flu-associated hospitalizations reported to the CDC’s influenza surveillance system were in people 18 to 64 years old. Statistics like these serve as a constant reminder that the flu can be a very serious disease for anyone, including previously healthy adults and children.
This year we hope to do better. If more people received their yearly flu vaccine, we could help reduce transmission of the virus and in turn prevent a great deal of loss and suffering.
To help educate the public about flu, the Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook page will be hosting a three-day flu forum to include CDC influenza experts.
Each day we will focus on a different flu related topic. We’ll discuss ways to help protect expectant women and infants too young to receive their own influenza vaccination. We’ll also discuss various chronic conditions that can cause flu complications and make existing health conditions worse. And we’ll even discuss the steps you can take to fight flu each season.
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Log onto Facebook Tuesday, Nov. 18th through Thursday, Nov. 20th.
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“Like” and “Follow” the “Vaccinate Your Baby Facebook” page.
(To follow the page, click on the grey “Follow” tab in the lower right corner of the Vaccinate Your Baby cover image. This will help ensure that the status updates are delivered directly to your Facebook news feed.)
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Post a question under the flu status updates and a CDC influenza expert will provide a response which will post as a reply comment on the page within 24 hours.
We hope you will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to get all your flu questions answered!
For more updates throughout the 2014-2015 influenza season, subscribe to Shot of Prevention (a CDC Digital Flu Ambassador), and follow @ShotofPrev and @CDCFlu on Twitter.
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