Harford County Health Department and Upper Chesapeake Health Offer No-Cost Seasonal Flu Vaccination Clinics

From the Harford County Health Department:

In response to growing public demand for vaccine, both the Harford County Health Department and Upper Chesapeake Health will hold no-cost seasonal influenza community vaccination clinics on Friday and Saturday, January 18 and 19, 2013, respectively.

The Harford County Health Department will hold its immunization clinic on Friday, January 18, 2013 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm in the Harford County Council Chambers located at 212 South Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. Both Flumist and injectable forms of the seasonal flu vaccine will be administered at the clinic. The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant and who do not have certain medical conditions. The “flu shot” can be given to individuals 6 months of age and older, including healthy individuals, pregnant women, and people with chronic medical conditions. Preservative free injectable vaccine will be available for infants ages six months to 36 months and for pregnant women.

In addition, as a follow-up to their public vaccination clinic last Saturday, Upper Chesapeake Health will hold a second public seasonal flu walk-up vaccination clinic this Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 10:00AM until 2:00PM at the Harford Mall near the American Eagle store. All of their injectable vaccine will be preservative free and also will be provided at no cost to the public.

Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly reminds the public that it is not too late to benefit from being vaccinated and that it remains the best method for preventing influenza as well as the potentially severe complications in children and adults the flu can cause. On average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu every year in the United States.

Vaccination is recommended for any person older 6 months of age in order to prevent the flu and its complications. Individuals at highest risk from flu complications include children younger than 5 years old, including children younger than 6 months of age who are too young to be vaccinated, children and adults with chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease and adults 65 years and older.

In addition to flu vaccination, the public is encouraged to use other strategies to combat the flu. These include frequent, proper hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding close contact with others who are sick, and staying home from work and/or school when sick to avoid spreading your illness to others.

More information on seasonal influenza is available on the Harford County Health Department website, at www.harfordcountyhealth.com, or by calling 410-612-1781. Comprehensive flu information also is available by visiting or the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website at http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/influenza/SitePages/Home.aspx and the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.