The 2010 influenza season officially begins in October, but cases of flu in some areas of the country have already been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection usually peaks in January, February and March and usually ends by May. It is impossible to predict ahead of time how bad the flu season might be, but as we learned with the H1N1 (swine flu) last year, it’s best to be prepared.

Fortunately the H1N1 bug never became the nightmare that it could have been. But it was bad enough, killing almost 13,000 people and sickening more than 60 million in the U.S. alone.

This year’s flu shot will provide protection against the three strains of flu expected to be most prevalent: H1N1, a new strain called H3N2 and influenza B. The swine flu virus

This morning I sent an email to Poudre Valley Health System employees detailing a new policy that requires them to get a flu shot as a condition of employment.

We will provide the vaccine for free, in the workplace, to employees. When we receive our vaccine supply, we’ll let employees know how long they have to get the shot.

We know this might not be popular with some of our employees, but we’re doing it to protect our patients. Unvaccinated healthcare workers can spread flu to patients, families, visitors and co-workers.

PVHS is not the first health system to do this. More and more hospitals and health systems are adopting similar policies, like this one in Philadelphia chronicled in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week. Last week, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology in America (SHEA), a group of

The Michigan Department of Community Health is taking steps to educate the public about the flu.

In its upcoming October 2010 issue, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending mandatory flu vaccinations for health care workers. Here is the current release from the AAP website:

Health-care associated influenza outbreaks are a common and serious public health problem that contribute significantly to patient morbidity and mortality and create a financial burden on health care systems. In a new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all health care personnel should be required to receive an annual influenza vaccine. The policy, “Recommendation for Mandatory Influenza Immunization of All Health Care Personnel,” published in the October 2010 print issue of Pediatrics (published online Sept. 13), states that “despite the efforts of many organizations to improve influenza immunization rates with the use of voluntary campaigns, influenza coverage among health care personnel remains

I worked in a flu lab for a year and was part of the team trying to understand the genetic nature of the flu virus. How did it change it’s genetic makeup so quickly each year that we needed to update our flu vaccination annually. Little did I expect to have to deal with questions on what to do about egg allergy. You see, until recently, all flu vaccines were prepared in eggs. Now, there are some brands available that are not made in eggs. Should a child or adult with egg allergy try to brave the flu season naturally or should they protect themselves by taking a vaccine until recently only made in eggs.

If you have never had the flu, chances are you may never get the flu. You may want to get expert advice on whether you

The 2010 influenza season is quickly approaching, and One Medical Group is now offering seasonal flu vaccines!  The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses, including the H1N1 virus.

Beginning 9/8/10, we’ll be offering flu shots at all of our downtown San Francisco offices:

• 110 Sutter Street
• Two Embarcadero Center
• 559 Clay Street

Shots will be given on a walk-in basis Monday through Friday between 8:00am – 11:00am & 12:00pm – 3:00pm.

You won’t need an appointment, but we recommend you review the official Vaccine Information Statement before you come to the office. The vaccine costs $25 and is covered by most insurance plans.

Check out our Influenza FAQs for more info, including advice about prevention and treatment of influenza.

Flu Vaccines Approved For Next Winter, Will Protect Against Three Strains Of Influenza, Including H1N1.

The flu vaccines approved for the 2010-11 mature defend against three strains of influenza, including the 2009 H1N1 pandemic swine flu strain, the United States Food and Drug Administration has announced. Because the 2009 H1N1 virus emerged after motion had started on model year’s seasonal flu vaccine, two fork vaccines were needed after season to protect against seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 virus.

This year, bourgeoisie will require only one vaccine, the FDA said. Each year, experts from the World Health Organization, the FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions analyze flu virus samples and patterns unexcited worldwide in disposal to clinch which strains are most likely to

Tuesday, September 07, 2010 by: Ethan A. Huff,

Federal health officials are pushing hard this year to convince everyone to get the flu shot, but according to reports, this will only be possible if drug companies are able to produce the vaccines quicker than they did last year. So in order to make this happen, the government is doling out roughly $2 billion in taxpayer funds to Big Pharma to spur faster vaccine roll-out.

The hysteria over last year’s supposed swine flu pandemic led to the development of millions of vaccines that were never used. By the time drug companies finished producing the vaccines, flu season was virtually over, leaving millions of leftover doses to