By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
Influenza can knock even healthy adults and children off their feet and it takes up to two weeks for the vaccine to become effective. San Juan County’s Health Department is urging all residents to take advantage of National Influenza Immunization Week, Dec 5th to 12th to protect their health, the health of the loved ones and their holiday plans. A flu shot now will protect throughout this year’s holiday and flu seasons.
| Where to Get Your Flu Shots | |
| San Juan Health Care | Tuesday & Wednesday 1:30 – 4:30pm
Walk-ins welcome |
| InterIsland Medical Center | Walk-ins welcome anytime |
| Orcas Medical Center | Appointments available Monday – Friday |
| Orcas Family Health Center | Walk-ins welcome anytime Monday – Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm |
| Orcas Island Family Medicine | Appointments available Monday – Friday |
| Lopez Island Medical Center | Appointments available for Dec. 2nd Flu Clinic |
| San Juan County Health Department Friday Harbor | Walk-in on Thursday afternoons |
| San Juan County Health Department Orcas and Lopez | By appointment |
| For more information or to schedule a flu shot, call your health care provider or San Juan County Health and Community Services at 378-4474. | |
“Flu is a serious disease that causes thousands of deaths and hundred of thousands of hospitalizations each year in our county,” said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “This year’s vaccine is a good match with the strains that are circulating. Influenza vaccine not only reduces you risk of illness; it prevents you from spreading the virus to others.
Everyone over 6 months old is recommended to get a flu vaccine every year. Vaccine is especially important for babies, young kids (particularly those under 5 years), pregnant women, people over 50, and those with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.
Young children, whose immune systems are still developing, are also at-risk for flu-related complications. Each year about 100 flu-related deaths in children are thought to occur in the U.S. During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, more than 300 deaths in children were reported to CDC.
The state purchases flu vaccine for all kids aged 6 mos through 18 years and distributes it at no cost for health care providers. Providers may charge a small administration or office visit fee.
“Getting a flu vaccine during pregnancy can reduce the risk of getting the flu while pregnant and after,” says San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James. “And babies younger than six months can get very sick from flu, but are too young to get vaccinated. The best way to protect them is to have their caregivers and close contacts vaccinated.”
Seasonal flu shots have been given safely to millions of children and adults. Preservative-free flu vaccine is available for pregnant women and small children. An alternative formulation is the nasal spray, Flu Mist, for healthy kids 2 through 18 years. Both types of influenza vaccine are safe and effective.
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Do You Know What You Are Being Injected With?
In case you don’t know, our Health Industry is just that: an Industry. They don’t really care about your good health. They care about earning money and the sicker you are, the more money they make.
Think about it.
Here is a shot list of the more Dangerous Material that is in the Common Flu Shot and other information you should know!
1. One of the major risks of flu shots are the potentially dangerous ingredients they contain. Flu shots often have ingredients like formaldehyde, Triton X-100, and Thimerisol.
Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. Research done by the International Agency for Research on Cancer has shown links between formaldehyde exposure and cancers of the brain, nasal tissues, and even leukemia.
Triton X-100 is a chemical found in flu shots that is considered to be a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. Triton X-100 is known to be harmful if swallowed, and may cause severe eye irritation.
Thimerisol is a mercury derivative, an element widely known to be dangerous to humans. Some cases of acute Thimerisol poisoning have been seen when as little as 3 mg/kg was ingested. These studies reported necrosis, central nervous system injury, coma, and death as results of acute Thimerisol poisoning. Many flu vaccines given in recent years contain this ingredient, according to manufacturers of flu shots like GlaxoSmithKline and Aventis-Pasteur.
Viral Vaccine Issues
2.All vaccines meant to block viruses contain trace elements of leukemia virus, and multiple types of cancer producing viruses. According to Dr. Eva Snead, a physician and public health activist from New York, these cannot be completely removed, because they exist in the chicken eggs where vaccine is grown.
Alzheimer’s disease
3.According to renowned immunogeneticist Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, the Director of research at the NeuroImmuno Therapeutics Research Foundation (NITRF), a non-profit research organization in South Carolina, someone who has had five consecutive flu shots raises his/her risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease by 10 times. The reason behind this, according to Dr. Fundenberg, is because of the gradual mercury buildup in the brain, which eventually leads to cognitive dysfunction.
Guillian-Barre Syndrome
4.According to the CDC, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a major neurological disorder, is believed to be triggered by an infection — most commonly by a bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni, often found in animal feces. A 1976 study showed that about 1 in 1 million people getting the flu vaccine will develop Guillain-Barre syndrome because of trace elements of bacteria found in chicken eggs.
Effectiveness
5.One major problem with flu vaccines is that medical experts can rarely tell which strain of the influenza virus will be predominant in the coming flu season. Flu vaccines are made from the previous year’s strains, and can only protect against the types contained within vaccine. In 2003, U.S. government health officials and the companies that make flu vaccine omitted a strain of the virus known as Fujian A, which became the most common cause of the infection in the 2003-2004 flu season. In research done by the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Program Office in 2004, studies showed that vaccines were 60 percent effective, at best. Currently there is no system that tracks the effectiveness of flu vaccines on a yearly basis.
– Dangers of the Flu Shot | eHow.com https://www.ehow.com/about_5112409_dangers-flu-shot.html#ixzz16dJ5uL00