FORT SILL, Okla. -- The Fort Sill flu-shot drive continues and now is the time to get the vaccination to protect yourself, said an Army Public Health official. The schedule for Soldiers, family members, DA civilians, contractors and retirees in the Fort Sill community is:
Oct. 11, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Medical Home Mall at Reynolds Army Community Hospital (RACH).
Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Fort Sill Commissary.
Oct. 18, Main Exchange 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nov. 1, Main Exchange 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Influenza, or the flu, is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States every winter, usually between October and May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Flu is caused by viruses and it is spread mainly by coughing, sneezing and close contact with someone who is infected.
Each year thousands of people in the United States die from the flu and its complications.
Flu shots are mandatory for Soldiers and DA civilians who perform direct patient care.
Mass immunization, or herd immunization, is important because it helps people who cannot get a flu shot from contracting the flu, said Pete Wiemers, RACH Preventive Medicine Department public health nurse.
If the entire population is vaccinated, they will stay healthy and when they surround those who haven't been vaccinated, such as infants under 6 months of age, the unvaccinated will remain healthy because they weren't exposed, Wiemers said.
Symptoms
Fever/chills; sore throat; muscle aches; fatugue; cough; headache; and runny or stuffy nose.
It's important to get the flu vaccine, said Spc. Claudia Quintero, Preventive Medicine flu-drive team member.
"One, it protects you, and it protects those around you," she said.
Fort Sill medical personnel are administering the shot and the flu mist, which is inhaled through the nose.
The mist contains an active virus which reacts quicker with the body. It is for people who are healthy, between 2- and 50-years-old, and whose immune system is not compromised either through disease or the use of certain drugs, Quintero said.
The shot contains an inactive virus and takes longer to kick-in, Wiemers said. Both methods are effective.
A typical flu season may have over 100 variety of strains. The CDC identifies the three most virulent strains, and that's what they put in the vaccines, Wiemers said. Flu infections tend to peak in February.
"All immunizations are important, and by vaccinating we keep our population healthy," he said.
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