UCLA Health System encourages residents to protect themselves from the coming flu season by getting vaccinated at UCLA’s annual Community Flu-Shot Clinic on Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Santa Monica Public Library.
Flu shots will available for $20 to anyone 18 or older who is not allergic to eggs or suffering from a cold or fever.
October marks the beginning of the 2010-11 flu season, with most cases occurring from November through May. However, every flu season is unpredictable in terms of arrival and severity. Presently, flu activity is low throughout the United States, making this an ideal time to get vaccinated.
“It can take up to two weeks to develop full protection from the vaccine, so now is the perfect time to get a flu shot,” explains Dr. Zachary Rubin, Hospital Epidemiologist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. “Protection generally lasts for about a year.”
Dr. Rubin says that this year’s vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza-B virus and the H1N1 virus that caused considerable illness, especially among younger people, last season.
He adds that infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with certain pre-existing health conditions are most susceptible to severe flu symptoms and therefore should make getting vaccinated a priority.
UCLA Health System
Community Flu-Shot Clinic
Tuesday, October 26
4 to 7 pm
Santa Monica Public Library,
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
$20
No reservations. For information only, call the UCLA Healthcare 50-Plus Program: (800) 516-5323.
