Nov. 1, 2006

The Oswego County Health Department will hold its first flu clinics at two locations Friday, Nov. 3. Flu shots will be given, only by appointment, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the H. Douglas Barclay Courthouse, Pulaski; and from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Nick Sterio Public Health Clinic, 70 Bunner St., Oswego.

Residents may schedule a flu shot appointment on the Internet at https://www.onflu.net/oswego/, or by calling the Oswego County Health Department at 349-3547 or 1-800-596-3200, ext. 3547 between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Online users will be asked to set up a user name and password. If you do not have a computer, others can go online for you and schedule up to 10 appointments. For those who are unable to schedule appointments for Nov. 3, additional flu clinics will be scheduled in Oswego, Pulaski, West Monroe and Fulton as the vaccine is received by the County Health Department.

Both flu and pneumonia vaccine will be available at the clinics. People who are covered by Medicaid or Medicare Part B must bring their cards to the clinic. There is a $30 charge for a flu shot and a $45 charge for a pneumonia shot. It is the policy of the Oswego County Health Department that no one will be turned away due to inability to pay.

Kathleen Smith, Public Health Director, said people in high risk groups are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated in November or December, so they will be protected before the flu season peaks.

“The flu season can peak at any time from December through March, but most often peaks in February,” said Smith. “Those people at greatest risk for complications of the flu, and those most likely to get or spread the flu, should be immunized as soon as vaccine is available.”

Flu vaccine is available for children ages six months to 18 years at the Health Department's immunization clinics. The vaccine is made available by the New York State Health Department's Vaccine for Children program.

It's estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of all Americans will get the flu. The flu shot is recommended for people at high risk for health complications from the flu, including:

• Children six months to five years of age
  
  
• Pregnant women
  
  
• People age 50 and older
  
  
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
  
  
• People who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities
  
  
• All siblings, household contacts and caregivers of children ages six months to five years
  
  
• Household contacts and caregivers of children less than six months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
  
  
• Health care workers and people who provide essential community services
  
  
• Students or other persons living in dormitories or institutional settings
  
  
• People who are traveling to an area where there is influenza activity
  
  
• Anyone who wants to decrease their risk of influenza
  
  

To help prevent the spread of flu, the county Health Department advises people to:

• Wash your hands often
  
  
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissues when you sneeze and cough
  
  
• Stay away from crowds when you are sick and when there is flu in the community
  
  
• Keep sick children home from school
  
  
• Adults should not go to work when they are sick, and people should not visit hospitals and nursing homes if they have flu and cold symptoms
  
  

For information, call the Oswego County Health Department at 349-3547 or 1-800-596-3200, ext. 3547 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To access the Web site visit https://www.onflu.net/oswego/