Take your best shot at avoiding flu bugs

The good news is that Las Vegas' unforgiving heat is starting to chill out. Cooler temperatures, however, mean the flu season is just around the corner.

The traditional flu season starts around the end of November and runs through March.

Inoculations are recommended two weeks prior to the season to provide the necessary protection. The Clark County Health District will start offering influenza vaccinations Oct. 5 at $8 a shot.

June Constantino, senior public health nurse with the Health District, said inoculations will be given for protection against three flu strands this year -- A/Beijing, B/Beijing and A/Sydney.

The Health District administered 25,223 flu shots last year, Constantino said, at its main office, 625 Shadow Lane, and at its three satellite locations: Henderson Clinic, 129 W. Lake Mead Drive; North Las Vegas Clinic, 3262 Civic Center Drive; and the WIC Clinic, 3333 Cambridge St.

Additionally individual drug stores and supermarket chains will soon set up nursing stations during the flu season. The Health District also will offer shots at upcoming health fairs throughout Clark County.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 90 million cases of influenza are reported annually. Of those, it's estimated that 20,000 people will die as a result of influenza-related illnesses and more will be hospitalized.

Constantino said the elderly are particularly susceptible to the flu and more likely to catch pneumonia from complications of the virus.

"Hand washing is the best way to protect yourself because you touch your face and nose and then your mouth," Constantino said. "The flu is an airborne virus and has a short incubation period. You also need to eat properly and rest."

The new vaccines are not made from live virus, so catching the flu from inoculations is not likely, health officials say. But because the virus used is grown in hens' eggs, people allergic to eggs may have severe reactions.

Some studies have shown that flu shots reduce hospitalizations by about 70 percent and elderly deaths by 85 percent.

Constantino said the Health District has seen only 50 reported cases of influenza so far this year. That number does not include residents and visitors who see private physicians.

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