Inova Health System Offering Flu Shots

Vaccine Highly Recommended for Children, Seniors

Falls Church, VA – (September 26, 2008) – Inova Health System’s HealthSource will be offering influenza vaccinations to children and adults throughout the Washington region beginning October 1. Every year in the United States more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that everyone get vaccinated as a flu shot is the only way to prevent influenza. Persons at high risk for serious complications from influenza include:

• Children six months to 5 years of age
• Adults with children up to 18 years of age
• Adults 50 and over
• Adults and children who have medical conditions that lower your body’s immune system such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and HIV, among others
• Adults who live in, work at or have contact with anyone in institutions such as schools, nursing homes and/or hospitals
• Women who are pregnant in any trimester, or who may deliver during flu season

October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but getting a shot in December or even later can still be beneficial. The flu shot cannot cause the flu. In addition, receiving the flu vaccine during pregnancy has been found to protect both a pregnant woman and her newborn against the infection. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that babies born to vaccinated mothers had a 63 percent lower risk of flu compared to babies whose mothers had not received the flu shot.

For a complete listing of all of Inova HealthSource’s flu clinics, go to www.inova.org/flu or schedule an appointment by calling 703-750-8818. To view a video about the importance of flu shots, click here.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services including emergency and urgent care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community we serve through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.