Health officials have message for residents: Get a flu shot

CROMWELL — Time to go over the prewinter check list.

Snow shovel? Check. Antiinflammatory medication for postshoveling backache? Check. Heavy sweater? Check.

Flu shot?

There’s no excuse not to get one.

And there is every reason to get a flu shot, according to Salvatore Nesci, the town’s public heath coordinator.

“It’s the No. 1 way to prevent getting the flu,” Nesci said.

What’s more, in an effort to encourage as many residents as possible —and in particular senior citizens — to get a flu shot, Nesci has organized three flu clinics in cooperation with Stop & Shop.

The town’s Health Department held one flu clinic earlier this week that attracted more than 200 people, which is an unusually large turnout, Nesci said.

Another flu clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29.

That clinic will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Gymnasium at 41 West St., Nesci said.

And then, on Nov. 12, the Health Department and the Senior Center are jointly sponsoring a Senior Health Expo/Flu Clinic.

That event, which is expected to attract as many as 40 vendors and include screenings, giveaways and refreshments, will be from 9 a.m. to noon, also in the gymnasium.

Three types of flu shots are offered at the clinics. Nesci recommends residents get the quadrivalent vaccine, which is effective against four strains of flu.

The clinics offer more than just flu shots, Nesci said.

“Pneumonia and shingles shots are also available as well,” he said.

There is no residency requirement for getting a flu shot, and there is no fee, although those coming to get the shot are asked to bring their insurance cards.

People coming to get the shots must be at least 18 years of age and in good health.

Influenza is not something that should be taken lightly, Nesci said.

In 201718, the last year for which data is available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that just under 1 million people (959,000) were hospitalized suffering from influenza.

An estimated 79,400 people died as a result of the flu, according to the agency.

And looming over all discussions about the flu, there is influenza pandemic of 191718. Again, from the CDC: “It is estimated that about 500 million people or onethird of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.”

During a 2018 seminar held to mark the 100th anniversary of the pandemic, CDC officials said a similar outbreak now could kill 100 million or more people.

Even as he was encouraging residents to get their shots, Nesci explained how the decision is made about which vaccine to make.

Primarily, it involves geography, Nesci said, and different seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

The CDC and pharmaceutical makers look at what strains of flu have been prevalent in Southern Hemisphere,” he said.

As summer is ending in the Northern Hemisphere, “They’re just coming out of their winter,” Nesci said.

“So, the CDC looks at which have been the dominant strain of the flu in the southern hemisphere and also which were the most common strains we had to deal with last year,” Nesci said.