Not too late to keep the flu at bay
By Daily Press staff
While hundreds of Santa Monicans received their flu shots last week, it’s not too late to get one.
The Santa Monica Red Cross, in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Health Department, held its annual free flu clinic at the chapter headquarters last week. More than 250 senior citizens and others in high-risk categories took advantage of the shots. The recent deaths in Colorado attributed to this year’s flu season have increased the public interest in getting the life-saving immunizations.
Residents who have not yet received a flu shot can still contact the LA County department of health services at 1 (800) 927-8700.
Each year, more than 36,000 deaths are attributed to the flu, mostly affecting seniors and children. The peak flu season is usually from January to March, but health officials are concerned that the Colorado deaths may indicate the season has started early this year. The first reported flu case in Los Angeles was in mid-October. This year’s vaccine protects individuals against three types of flu strain — “A-Moscow,” “A-Caledonian” and “B-Hong Kong.” “A-Panama” is similar to the “A-Moscow” strain and is, therefore, covered by the current vaccine.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 12, 2003. Read the original PDF.