Visit Our Drive Thru Flu Clinic 10/5/24!
Flu season is just around the corner, which means it’s time to take steps to protect your family by making an appointment for our annual drive thru clinic. As pediatricians, we highly recommend that everyone in your household aged six months and older is vaccinated against the flu.
Our 5th annual drive thru clinic will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 9am to 4pm. To learn more about how our drive thru clinic works, go here. To schedule an appointment for the clinic, contact us at (503) 255-3544 or visit our patient portal.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the vaccine and how to protect your family during flu season, read on.
When should I get my flu shot?
The sooner the better. While there are some conflicting studies about how long the flu vaccine protects people over 65, for the rest of us it lasts well past influenza season.
Can I get influenza from the vaccine?
Absolutely not! Although the flu shot contains particles of the killed virus, it’s still impossible to catch it from being vaccinated. Any vaccine can have side effects –
Including fever or body aches – but these are symptoms of your body’s immune system responding to the vaccine and is a sign of a well-run immune system.
The Flu Mist, which is the flu vaccine given as a nasal spray, is a great option for patients who are 2 years and older. It is a live virus vaccine which uses a weakened form of the influenza virus to stimulate the immune system. While it can give side effects such as a runny nose or sore throat, it does not infect the lungs or give influenza.
Do I really need to get vaccinated if I’ve already had the flu?
Let’s make sure we’re talking about influenza, not stomach flu. Influenza is primarily a respiratory illness and symptoms include fever, coughing, sore throat and body aches. (You can also have vomiting and diarrhea on top of all that.) Stomach flu (also known as gastroenteritis) is a nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea illness.
And even if you’ve had influenza, we still recommend you get the vaccine. There are multiple strains of flu going around each season, and just because you got one strain doesn’t mean you won’t get another one. We see this happen every year.
In the past, the vaccine didn’t prevent me from catching influenza. So why should I get it now?
Unfortunately, no vaccine is 100% perfect. And influenza is particularly tricky because the strains that cause the disease change every year. Those strains can also change between the time the vaccine is made and when flu season hits. Or there may be strains that develop that aren’t covered in the vaccine.
Despite these challenges, the vaccine is still the best protection we have. Each year it prevents millions of influenza illnesses and significantly reduces the risk of complications.
Can I help prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory illnesses?
Yes, regular handwashing and getting plenty of sleep are two very important things you and your family can do to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses.
And if you or your child do get sick, stay home. This is essential to preventing the spread of all infectious diseases. For a more comprehensive list of symptoms visit AAP’s page on when to keep your sick child at home. We also have a list of acetaminophen and ibuprofen dosages on our website.
The Central for Disease Controls (CDC) also recommends that you and your child mask if sick or interacting with someone at medium or high risk. KN95 and KN94 masks offer the best protection.
Don’t wait until the flu starts spreading. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for our drive-thru flu clinic and protect your family throughout the flu season.