Flu can be very serious. If you look at the CDC statistics from 1976 on, on average about 25,000 people die every year.

According to Gregory Poland, MD, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases and vaccine expert, many myths about the flu are circulating that may prevent people from taking the flu seriously.

The flu can be mild to severe, but quite often it is worse than the common cold.

The shingles vaccine might not be cost-effective for people in their fifties, a new analysis suggests. Be sure employees know that the flu shot is covered by insurance, and where they can go for more coverage information.

“By improving adult immunization rates, we anticipate reduced hospitalizations from vaccine-preventable diseases especially among vulnerable populations”. Kreidler said they expect to get their shipment within two weeks. The failure of the vaccine was related to a mismatch between the strains that were circulating and those it protected people from, due to mutations in the virus.

Reports show that 75 percent of US health care workers were vaccinated during the 2013-14 flu season, significantly lowere than the Healthy People 2020 target of 90 percent vaccination rates. This includes well children, well adults, pregnant women and the elderly.

Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) has resumed his crusade against flu shots.

As the school year kicks off and time in close contact with other people increases, the flu season begins. The interim overall vaccine effectiveness estimated from November 10, 2014 to January 2, 2015 was 23 percent, the CDC states, significantly down from previous years.

The low protection last season underscored the importance of having flu vaccines that are well matched to circulating flu viruses, but it’s challenging because viruses change constantly, Burns says. At Kroger, we’re doing our part to make it as easy as possible for our shoppers to get the flu shot. Most of the Southern Hemisphere cases of influenza B appear to match the strain used to make the trivalent vaccine, he said.

With all the warm weather lately, you may not be thinking about winter weather or the illnesses that usually come with it. However, children of all ages with a long-term medical condition will still be offered the flu vaccine.

But sometimes, the cost to treat (or not treat) a disease is a lot higher than believed if you examine certain intangible factors.

“It’s a totally separate supply”, said Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The words just and flu should never be in the same sentence.