Plattsburgh N.Y.- Runny nose, sore
throat, high fever, aching body. Those are just a few symptoms of the nasty of
the influenza virus that strikes the nation during the winter months. People
are starting to take precautions to battle the chances of getting the flu. One
of the most commonly practiced protection method is receiving the flu
vaccination.
On
the other hand there are still many who would prefer not to get the
vaccination. In fact, In the numbers of vaccinations administered in Clinton
County have dropped by 377. Which begs the question what does Clinton County
residents, more specifically Plattsburgh residents happens to those that are
not protected by the vaccine and what precautionary measures made.
Parents in the surrounding area have
mixed opinions on how the flu is preventable. Starting at home seems to be the
number one place that most families start planning and trying to stop the
invasion of the flu virus. For one mother, Molly Leclair, the best way to
prevent getting the flu is getting the vaccination. Leclair knows that the
vaccine isn’t 100 percent preventable.
However
Leclair will take all the help she can get to make sure her son doesn’t come
down with the flu. Leclair said, “The best way my family and I avoided the flu
is to get the vaccine and wash your hands. There have been plenty of outbreaks
of the flu in Plattsburgh that it should be mandated that you get the vaccine.
It could help out a lot of people.” Leclair brings up a valid point that
getting the vaccine could definitely help many people during the upcoming flu
season. But what about the the outstanding statistic that the flu only
protected 32 percent of the people who received it.
Leah
Briody a student at SUNY Plattsburgh was one of the first to receive her flu
shot from the University’s health center. Although she received the vaccine,
two months later she contracted the virus and was bedridden for a week. Briody
has voiced her disappointment in the vaccine because she was trying to take
precautionary measures to not get the flu.
Briody,
an active member in her community knows many others who received the flu shot
last year and contracted the virus as well. “From now on I am going to just
wash my hands because it is a waste of time and money to go to the doctors and
get a flu shot. If I want to get a flu shot in the future I am just going to go
to the pharmacy” said Briody. Though there is a negative stigma rather than
your doctors that comes with getting your flu shot at the pharmacy it is slowly
going away.
People
are finding it easier to stop by the pharmacy for a flu shot than making a
doctor's appointment and paying the copay. One pharmacy that participates in
administering flu shots is Plattsburgh Walgreens administers flu shots all year
round. Kelly Fletler is a pharmacist there and has been administering flu shots
for two years. Fletler has taken notice that senior citizens have taken
advantage of the opportunity while younger people deny the option when asked.
Fletler understands that the flu
shot is not 100 percent effective but believes it’s the best precaution to
take. “The flu shot is projected to attack the strain of flu that has began to
spread. Getting the flu shot is just a good way to get a jump start on the
fight of flu season.”
Though
the younger generation is not necessarily stopping by the local Walgreens the
SUNY Plattsburgh health center has been on top of distributing flu shots to
students. Candice Hall a nurse at the center. Says that the whole campus
suffered an outbreak of the flu during January 2014. More than 100 students
showed symptoms of the flu and were treated for it. Hall said, “Getting the flu
shot may not help everyone but it is useful as a just in case. The Flu is really
debilitating virus. Most students who come down with it are out of classes for
around a week.” Hall went on to elaborate why the flu is contracted so easily
on campus and stressed the importance of taking care of your body during the
flu season.
The
Clinton County Health Department is also making strides to keep the county
healthy. On their website the first thing they have shown is a link leading the
viewer to an array of links of resources. The link describes why there is a
need for people to get the flu shot, “As determined by the Centers for Disease
Control, the viruses in a flu shot and FluMist vaccine change each year based
on scientists' tests about which types and strains of the flu will be the most
strong that year.” This is a resource for many people in the county to utilize.
The
flu comes every year and this year there are hopes that there will be a decline
in the amount of people who get the flu. Just remember a good start beat
the flu to wash your hands and get your vitamin C.
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