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Stamford Hospital’s Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Michael Parry said approximately two-thirds of patients who were recently admitted to the Stamford Hospital for influenza had not received a flu shot.
It's not too late to get the shot and have it help even if you get the flu, Parry said.
The current influenza vaccine is still considered to be a good match for the influenza viruses that are circulating. Vaccination remains the best method of protection against the influenza virus as it is effective in reducing the risk of disease, the severity of illness and the probability of death by 50 percent.
Early treatment has been shown to decrease the severity of illness and help those who have been exposed to individuals infected with the influenza virus, said officials with the Stamford Department of Health.
Infection with the flu presents a higher risk of serious complications and possible death for certain groups of individuals including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions, and persons 65 years and older, the department said.
The influenza vaccine is safe and has very few side effects. Stamford’s Director of Health Dr. Jennifer Calder encourages persons who have not been vaccinated to get themselves and their family members vaccinated.
"If you are working and have respiratory symptoms we are encouraging you to wear a surgical mask and wash your hands frequently to protect persons around you and with whom you have contact," she said. "Ideally, any individual with a febrile respiratory illness should not go to work until they are not symptomatic."
See your doctor for a flu shot or visit the Stamford Health Department’s Clinic at 137 Henry Street, where shots are still available. For information, call 203-977-5385.
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