A Mesa County resident has been hospitalized due to influenza after spending time on the Front Range. This is the first flu hospitalization in Mesa County during the 2018-2019 flu season.
Residents who haven’t gotten their flu shot should do so as soon as possible, especially as the holiday travel season begins. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicts more than 25 million people will be traveling during Thanksgiving – one of the TSA’s busiest Thanksgivings on record.
“Thanksgiving is sort of the kick-off to the holiday season and holiday travel, which is great – but travel is also a great way to be exposed to lots of different germs, including the flu virus,” Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) Epidemiology Program Manager Heidi Dragoo said. “The flu shot is your best bet to prevent getting sick with flu during the holiday and flu season. It also prevents severe flu symptoms and hospitalization due to flu if you do get sick with flu.”
Getting your flu shot reduces your risk of being hospitalized due to flu by 37 percent and reduces your risk of being admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to flu by 82 percent.
The MCPH Clinic has plenty of flu vaccine available and accepts all major insurances including Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan. We serve all patients regardless of ability to pay.
“We do our best to make it as easy as possible to get a flu shot,” MCPH Clinic Program Manager Allison Sanchez said. “You can call to make an appointment, but we also have walk-in availability. Our goal is to vaccinate as many Mesa County residents as possible to prevent the spread of flu in our community, so even if you can’t afford a flu shot you can get one with us.”
Visit health.mesacounty.us to learn more about flu prevention and our Clinic services. Call 970-248-6900 to make an appointment.