Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) announced that its Indianapolis-Midtown health center, located at 3750 N. Meridian St., will be holding a flu shot clinic on Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Patients interested in being vaccinated must be at least 12 years old to take advantage of next Wednesday’s clinic. Shots are $23 each and appointments are not required.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends annual influenza vaccinations for everyone age six months or older.
According to the CDC, the current vaccine protects against the three influenza viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming flu season. Each season, this includes an influenza B virus, an influenza A (H1N1) virus and an influenza A (H3N2) virus.
While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, it’s especially important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:
• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
• Health care workers
• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
• Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity or “match” between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation.
Different side effects can be associated with the flu shot. The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that could occur are:
• Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
• Fever (low grade)
• Aches
If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot and usually last 1 to 2 days. Almost all people who receive influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it. However, on rare occasions, flu vaccination can cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions.
For more information, call Planned Parenthood of Indiana at (317) 925-6747 or visit www.ppin.org.
