This is your guide to Seasonal Flu . You will find tools to prevent the flu through healthy hygiene techniques; protect yourself and your family by getting vaccinated; and the best way to prepare for flu season. Also, find up-to-date information from local, state and federal public health authorities to stay healthy throughout flu season.

Seasonal Flu:

• Is a contagious, respiratory illness caused by a virus.
• Is preventable with a vaccine.
• Can cause severe respiratory problems or pneumonia
• Can cause mild to severe illness, even death.
• The symptoms for the common cold and seasonal flu are similar.
• 5 to 20 percent of the population get the flu in any given year.
• Causes about 36,000 deaths and about 200,000 hospitalizations per year in the US
• Flu outbreaks in the US last from the fall through early spring.

Seasonal Flu Symptoms:

Chills Fever, usually over 100F Extreme tiredness or weakness Sore throat

Muscle & body aches Headache Dry cough Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Those at high risk for Flu-related complications or live/work with those at high risk include:

Pregnant women Children < 5 years old, especially < 2 years old Adults over 50 years old People with chronic medical conditions

People living in nursing or long-term homes Those who care for people at high-risk Health care workers Caregivers of children less than 6 months old

• Wash your hands often.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel or wipes.
• Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and wash your hands immediately.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent the spread of germs.
• Stay home when you are sick or have flu symptoms.
• Clean commonly touched surfaces when someone is ill.

The most effective way to protect against flu is to get vaccinated each year.

The Seasonal Flu vaccine protects against four viruses, called quadrivalent. The 2021-2022 influenza vaccine is made from the following four viruses:

• A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus (updated)
• A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus (updated)
• B/Colorado/06/2017-like (Victoria lineage) virus
• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (Yamagata lineage) virus

Four-component vaccines, which protect against a two of the B viruses and two of the A viruses are recommended.

All vaccine used at the Bernards Township Health Department 2021-2022 Flu Shot clinics are quadrivalent vaccines.

What is quadrivalent vaccine?

*** Participants should consult with their doctor before receiving the flu vaccine.

DO NOT be vaccinated if you:

• Have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• Have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• Have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) within 6 wks of a flu vaccine.
• Are a child less than 6 months of age.
• Have a moderate to severe illness with a fever—wait until you recover.