Newsletter Date: 10-11-11

To My Patient Families:

It is that time again! Flu vaccine is here. As many of you know I am a big advocate for everyone to get a flu vaccine every year. It is one of the best preventive measures you can do before the winter illness season begins. Flu vaccine is recommended by the CDC for everyone over the age of six months as soon as it is available. You do not have to worry about it "wearing off" if you get it too early.

Flu vaccine is safe and effective. It is the best tool we have to prevent severe complications of Influenza. Remember Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory illness. It is not primarily a vomiting / diarrhea illness. The vaccine this year has the same types of flu as last year. So if you have been previously vaccinated with flu vaccine you will only need one vaccination this year. If however your child is under 9 yrs old and has never received flu vaccine, they will need two vaccinations separated by a month.

We do have the Flumist version of the vaccine. This can be given to people 2 yrs to 49 yrs who are otherwise healthy. If your child has asthma or some other significant illness it is advised to get the flu shot. The injected flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. Both vaccines are very well tolerated; few children have side effects.

The risk of being harmed by Influenza, if your child gets the disease, is far greater than the risk of being harmed by the vaccine. Influenza is the leading cause of vaccine preventable death. Hundreds of millions of doses of flu vaccine are given every year. We have more safety data on flu vaccine than any vaccine we give. It is a compellingly safe vaccine.

To ensure every child is given the correct vaccines at every visit, we are scheduling children for flu vaccine on our regular schedule. This allows parents to ask questions and for us to let you know if your child needs other vaccinations at the same time. There will be no special flu vaccine clinic days. Please be sure to schedule when you know you can make an appointment. Missed appointments make it harder to give our patients the best service and care.

As in previous years we have flu vaccine to offer parents if they wish to be vaccinated at the time their children are vaccinated. Please let our front staff know if you want a flu vaccination when you call to schedule your child. The cost for the flu shot is $30, Flumist is $40. We are not able to bill insurances for shots given to parents.

Call soon for an appointment. I recommend getting to this early, well before the holidays. In my experience the longer you wait the greater the chance you will forget.

Warmest regards,
Carl Lindgren MD

Healthy Future Pediatrics
3023 Pacific Ave SE
Olympia, WA 98501

Phone: 360-528-4220
Fax: 360-528-4226

info@healthyfuturepeds.com

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