Flu season: don’t wait, vaccinate

With flu activity on the rise in neighboring states and ranked severe in Louisiana, health officials are urging everyone in our state to get the flu shot if they haven’t already.

‘Don’t wait, vaccinate:’ a message medical and health care officials at Ochsner Medical Center in Hancock County hope comes across loud and clear. The sooner you get the flu vaccine, the better they say. Clinical nurse educator Brenda Steudlein said, “Right away your body starts to build up an immunity to it, but really the full effect is at two weeks.”

People from all walks of life trickled into Ochsner Medical Center Monday for the Bay St. Louis hospital’s flu shot fair. Most at risk are the elderly, young, and those with compromised immune systems. There has been one pediatric death so far this flu season in Mississippi. While the state is now seeing a moderate activity level, neighboring Alabama is ranked high and Louisiana is ranked severe when it comes to reported flu cases.

The good news is that, unlike last year, this year’s vaccine is proving to be very effective, something medical professionals at this hospital have seen firsthand. “They are actually seeing the flu, but it’s not from people who have gotten a flu shot,” said Steudlein.

Mississippi is heading into the peak of flu season with cases typically spiking in February and March at the latest so there’s no time to waste.