Don’t pass the flu with the stuffing this Thanksgiving: Get a shot now to protect you and your family throughout the holiday season

As the state heads further into respiratory virus season, the Texas Department of State Health Services is encouraging everyone to add flu shots to their Thanksgiving shopping lists. Doses of flu vaccine are widely available at public health clinics, doctor's offices and pharmacies across Texas.

Cooler weather, holiday gatherings and added travel increase the risk that respiratory viruses like influenza will spread, so public health officials recommend everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated as soon as possible. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to reach peak immunity, so the sooner people get a shot, the sooner they will be protected during the holidays.

"It is especially important for older adults, very young children, people with chronic health conditions and pregnant women to get protection from the flu," said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH. "People in those higher risk groups are more likely to get seriously sick if they do get the flu, and some will inevitably need to be hospitalized and even die from their infections."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that influenza caused at least 600,000 hospitalizations in the United States and tens of thousands of deaths last flu season. A 2010 study put the average economic cost of seasonal flu at more than $87 billion a year, or roughly $131 billion adjusted for inflation.

Flu symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, cough, fatigue and chills and can last a week or longer. Antiviral drugs available by prescription can make the illness milder and shorter if started within 48 hours of symptoms beginning.

Flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu talk, sneeze or cough. People can also get the flu if they touch a surface or object with live virus on it and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes. While the vaccine is the best protection, people can also help stop the flu by covering coughs and sneezes, washing their hands frequently and staying home when sick.

You can contact your doctor, local health department or pharmacy to learn where you can get your flu shot. Monitor the effects of various respiratory viruses statewide and in your region with the Texas Respiratory Illness Interactive Dashboard. For more information about influenza and how to protect against it, visit texasflu.org.

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(News Media Contact: [email protected], 512-776-7119)