It’s time for the seasonal flu vaccine!

This year, it’s more important than ever that you get your flu vaccine early for seasonal influenza. With Covid-19 still active and a potential resurgence over the fall and winter, you need all the protection you can get. While the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect you from Covid-19, it will help ensure that hospitals and healthcare providers don’t get overwhelmed by a double whammy, or what some are calling a “twindemic.”

But making it a priority to get a flu vaccine isn’t simply to help preserve precious health care resources for others, it’s also good for protection you. Remember, the seasonal flu can be a killer, claiming thousands of lives each year. Also, health experts think that it is possible to contract seasonal influenza and Covid-19 at the same time, so you want to prevent your own personal “twindemic.” While a vaccine is not an ironclad guarantee that you won’t still get a seasonal bug, flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death. In other words, if you do get a flu, the vaccine will make your illness less severe, and make it less likely you’ll end up in the hospital. This is particularly important for high-risk people and people with underlying health conditions.

This year, health officials recommend getting your vaccines early, ideally in September or October before the flu season starts. But if you miss this time frame, should you still get vaccinated? Health officials say yes, up through January.

Here’s who the CDC recommends get vaccinated:

  • Everyone above the age of 6 months
  • Those who are at a high risk, such as adults over 65 years old and people with underlying medical conditions (cancer, heart disease, asthma – see more)
  • Pregnant women
  • Caretakers exposed to vulnerable groups
  • Healthcare workers and essential workers

Be aware that there are different vaccines recommended for different populations. There are special vaccines for young children, and higher dosage vaccines for adults 65 years old and older. This year, there is one vaccine for seniors that has been updated to protect against four strains of influenza, rather than three as in previous years.
Learn more about which vaccine is most appropriate for you at the CDC.

Where to get flu shots

In the past, many people got flu shots at work, but with the prevalence of remote work during the pandemic, most people will be on their own this year. There are many  places to get a shot, such as pharmacies, clinics and doctors’ offices – and some communities may even set up drive-through flu vaccine sites. Use the Vaccine Finder to find places near you based on the type of vaccine you need. Remember to check if  the facility is walk-in or by appointment and be sure to review any required Covid-19 health procedures and costs. If you have private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, you’ll probably only need to cover a copay, but if you don’t have insurance, shop around because prices can vary.

Here’s more info and more flu resources:

 

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.

June is Men’s Health Month: Raising awareness about health checkups and screenings

Let the men in your life know how much they mean to you by encouraging them to get healthy! June is Men’s Health Month, a time to encourage and support all the men in our lives to get health screenings and checkups. Why? Quite simply, the founders of this initiative say that “men live sicker and die younger.” The dedicated month is sponsored by the Men’s Health Network (MHN), a national non-profit whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health awareness and disease prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.

MHN says that part of the reason men have a shorter life expectancy than women is that men are “more likely to go long periods of time without going to the doctor, they’re less likely to adopt preventive health measures, and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors.” Men’s Health Month aims to raise awareness and to shine a spotlight on the need for men to a more active approach to their health.

This MHN pamphlet Get It Checked offers a handy, printable schedule of checkups and age-appropriate  screenings for both men and women, Among other resources and initiatives, MHN sponsors the Men’s Health Resource Center, which offers multimedia and articles on such health topics as aging, cancers, cardiovascular health, diabetes, mental health, prostate health, sexual & reproductive health, and much more. They also offer information on fatherhood, behavioral health and nutrition.

Part of the reason MHN chose June as the dedicated awareness month is that it’s the month in which we all think about one of the most important men in our lives on Father’s Day. In addition to the month-long observance, they also sponsor Men’s Heath Week, which falls in the week prior to Father’s Day, and a Wear Blue Day, which this year falls on Friday the 19th.

If you’re a healthy man, spread the word.  If you are a woman, make sure you remind the men in your life to look after their health!

Men's Health Month infographic

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.