Vaccinations for Flu Virus Recommended

Your head is cloudy. Your bones ache. Your nose is running like a faucet. And you are about as likely to take up skydiving as get off the couch.

But it’s nothing unusual for this time of year, says a county health official.

The kids are back in school. And when they return to classes each fall, they spread viruses. Then they pass those bugs to their parents. And, yes, those parents bring the virus into the workplace.

“I don’t think we’re seeing anything out of the ordinary,” said Lin Glusac, an immunization coordinator for Ventura County Public Health. “We always see some illnesses when kids go back to school. All the kids are back together and activities start.”

But Glusac said this is the time to get a flu shot. While some may be sniffling and aching now, flu season hits head-on from December through February, she said.

That is why county health officials encourage people 60 and older to get vaccinated. Immune systems among the elderly can be weakened by a bout with the flu, and don’t bounce back as quickly, she said. Health care providers and anyone with a chronic illness such as diabetes or asthma should get the vaccination as well, she said, especially when considering 20,000 to 40,000 Americans die each year of flu-related complications.

This year’s flu immunization helps prevent three strains of flu virus: A/Beijing, A/Sydney and B/Beijing.

Those with chronic illnesses could be eligible for free flu shots through the health department. Others who are immunized through the county pay $10, Glusac said. Last year about 17,000 county residents received flu shots from the department.

While officials say the flu shot is no guarantee, it can prevent the elderly from suffering severe cases of the flu and spending months trying to recover.

“The older you are, the less effective it is,” Glusac said. ‘But what it does prevent is very serious complications.”

Oxnard resident Cheryl Hill and her husband, Peter, opted for vaccinations a couple of years ago.

“For the last two years, the flu has not run rampant in this house,” she said.

But Hill said viruses of all sorts find their way through the cracks in her children’s immune systems. After all, the shot can only immunize a person against those viruses health officials know about and include in the vaccine.

This week, the couple’s daughter, Julie, 6, broke out with spots covering her body. Doctors say Julie isn’t itching her way through the chicken pox, and they aren’t sure what is causing the pimple-like spots, Cheryl Hill said. So they are just calling it a virus, she said, and the family is soldiering on, hoping no one else gets the bug.

Julie’s school has not reported any other students with the mystery spots, Cheryl Hill said. But she said Julie usually picks up whatever bugs strike schools during the fall.

“I don’t know why,” she said. “They’re on the playground, they ride the bus with people. Heaven only knows.”

Patty Contini, a health programs specialist for the Ventura Unified School District, said the flu isn’t running rampant through Ventura schools, but she cautioned there are plenty of winter months to come. “When the flu season hits, we know it,” she said.

Contini encourages parents to get in touch with their doctors and find out who in the family should get a flu shot. That and encouraging kids to wash their hands regularly are the best ways to keep the flu and other viruses from spreading, she said.

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Preventive Medicine

Medical specialists urge people to get flu shots now to give the body time to build antibodies against the three influenza strains likely to cause illness in the U.S. this year.

FLU FACTS

Flu strains expected this season:

Type A/Beijing

Type A/Sydney

Type B/Beijing

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Symptoms

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Influenza Common Cold Fever, usually sudden Fever Chills Chills Sweating Stuffy nose Aches and pains Sore throat, Weakness hoarseness Headache Aches and pains Stuffy nose Loss of appetite Sore throat, hoarseness Loss of appetite

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A flu shot will not protect against the common cold.

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When to Call a Doctor

* if your symptoms are worsening

* if you have a high fever

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FLU SHOTS

Flu shots should be administered now. Flu season typically runs from December through March.

The Ventura County Health Services Department will offer free flu shots to some county residents.

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Those eligible for free flu shots must be:

* 60 or older

* anyone with a chronic health condition such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, asthma or a compromised immune system such as those suffering from AIDS caregivers of the above or health care workers

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Flu shot phone numbers for clinics in Ventura County

* Oxnard Public Health Center: (805) 385-8652

* Santa Paula Public Health Center: (805) 933-5505

* Ventura Public Health Center: (805) 652-5928

* Simi Valley Public Health Center: (805) 578-3675

* For more information:(800) 781-4449 Source: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

Researched by TRACY THOMAS/Los Angeles Times LORENA INIGUEZ / Los Angeles Times