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Doctors urge Idahoans to get flu shot

Posted at 10:31 PM, Nov 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-14 00:31:50-05

It's not too early to start talking about the flu since a woman in Northern Idaho has already died from the illness. Doctors recommend people get their flu shots to prevent the illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was approximately 960,000 flu related hospitalizations last year. 
   

The CDC predicts activity will pick up in the coming weeks. 

Dr. Nasser at Saint Luke's Capital City Family Medicine says he has already seen a few positive cases of the flu in his clinic this year.

"The CDC published last year's mortality figures for the flu and something like 80,000 people died in the u.s. of the flu last year."

He says the intense part of the flu season hasn't hit yet. 

"We've seen significant outbreaks as early as late October and as early as April so there's a broad range there. You know, typically we're seeing most of our flu cases in January, February." 

Nasser says researchers try to anticipate which strains will be most infectious. 

"They design the vaccine to address those and some years they get it right and other years, they don't. So there's certain years where a are more common and other years where certain strains of B are more common, we never exactly know until were right in the midst of it."

Nasser recommends it for anyone six months or older to get the flu vaccine. as for the theory of getting sick from the flu shot. 

"The reality is we give the flu shot during the time of year where people are getting sick for other reasons and so understandably people will say, I got the flu shot and I got sick three days later, must have been the flu shot. Not the case, can't get you sick, but you might feel a little off for one or two days."

Children younger than five, adults older than 65, pregnant women and residents of nursing homes are especially susceptible to developing flu related complications. 

For more information on this flu season's outlook, you can head to https://www.cdc.gov/