Daily HealthBeat Tip

Get vaccinated

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

If you want to protect yourself against the flu, get a vaccination. October and November are the best months to get vaccinated, but you can still benefit from vaccination after November, even if flu is present in your community.

People of any age can get the flu, so it's recommended that everyone be vaccinated. But Dr. Jeanne Santoli of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says certain groups of people are more prone to develop complications, than others and should pay particular attention to getting their yearly vaccinations.

"It's especially important that people who are 65 years and older, children 6-23 months, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions get vaccinated." (10 seconds)

In an average year, the flu causes 36,000 deaths, mostly among those 65 years or older, and more than 200,000 hospitalizations.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 9, 2005

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