Planning for the 2010-2011 flu season has already begun.  Like many schools and pharmacies in the area, our office will be conducting flu vaccine clinics starting in mid-September.  Our flu vaccination clinics are by appointment only!  Please call to schedule your child for one of our flu clinics; if your child already has a Well Child appointment scheduled during flu season, we can provide the vaccine during the check-up. 

High priority groups for influenza vaccination are: pregnant women; children under 5 years of age, but especially those under 2; household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age; health care and emergency medical services personnel; people over 50 years of age; people older than 6 months of age who have certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, chronic lung disease, or diabetes) or a health condition associated with a higher risk of medical complications from flu; people living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

Children with asthma or other chronic lung conditions are not eligible to receive the live intranasal flu vaccine and must receive the injectable (shot) version.  As children with chronic lung conditions are at highest risk for life-threatening complications from influenza (such as pneumonia), we recommend that all children with such conditions receive their flu shot immediately.   The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against an influenza A H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) virus  that caused so much illness last season.

• If your child is younger than 9 and is being vaccinated for flu for the first time in their life, they need to receive 2 doses. The second dose should be given 4 weeks after the first dose. If your child is 9 or older, they are protected from flu with just 1 dose of flu vaccine.
• Babies younger than 6 months of age are too young to get flu vaccine.

Please call (360)-736-6778 to schedule an appointment for your child's flu shot.  For up-to-date information on influenza, see the CDC's website.