Get Your Flu Shot  

By Fresia Rodríguez Cadavid
December 2007/January 2008

Visit a retail health clinic (agosto/ septiembre 2007)  Watch a typical clinic visit (AARP Bulletin Online)

A flu shot could save your life. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge you to get your annual influenza shot. Their message is urgent, since flu season can peak in January and last through March. 

"The vaccine is important for all age groups, but it's especially important for people 65 and older, particularly those with chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney disease, or cancer," says the CDC's Dr. Jeanne Santoli. Each year 36,000 people die and 200,000 others are hospitalized from flu complications. Yet only 42 percent of Hispanics over age 65—compared to 63 percent of older non-Hispanic whites—receive flu shots.

for more info

Visit MedlinePlus  for comprehensive information, including an interactive tutorial and how to tell if you have the flu or just a cold.

Despite myths to the contrary, vaccinations do ward off—and don't cause—the flu, making flu shots the best protection against the contagious virus. Viruses change often, so yearly vaccinations are critical. Keep in mind, too, that it takes about two weeks after vaccination to build up immunity.