Flu Shots
It’s that time of year again. We have already received some of our influenza vaccine and the rest is expected to arrive by November. Right now we have flu shots for patients 6 months and older with private insurance, and we will be holding our flu shot clinics every Saturday in October. We anticipate our Medicaid flu shots and our FluMist (nasal-spray flu vaccine) will arrive at the end of October. This year we will have plenty of flu vaccine for all of our patients.
The flu shot, which helps protect against the influenza virus, is especially important for those at higher risk of developing complications due to an influenza infection. This includes children aged 6-23 months, those with asthma, diabetes, chronic lung and heart disease, and those with weakened immune systems. Those who live with high-risk patients should also receive the vaccine.
We will again be offering FluMist, the nasal-spray flu vaccine. This vaccine is available for healthy patients 2 years and older. Although it cannot be given to those in the high-risk group, FluMist is a great alternative to the flu shot for our healthy patients. It will be administered into the nose by one of our nurses.
Oct. 6, 2007
Oct. 13, 2007
Oct. 20, 2007
Oct. 27, 2007
If you prefer the FluMist or have Medicaid insurance, check with us at the end of October for further information on scheduling.
Don’t forget - If your child is between the ages of 6 months and 8 years old, and this is the first time they have received the vaccine, then they will need a booster shot one month later. |
Adolescent Vaccines
Just five years ago, the only immunization teenagers needed was a tetanus booster. Not anymore. Many new vaccines have been introduced in the last few years that help protect our adolescents from important diseases.
Whooping cough, otherwise known as pertussis, is currently on the rise in the U.S. The hallmark of this disease is a severe, long-lasting cough, often called the 100-day cough. Although babies and young children receive the combination diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DtaP), by the time children reach adolescence their immunity has waned. Therefore, the disease is making a strong comeback in adolescents and adults.
The new vaccine, called TdaP, will protect anyone over the age of 10 against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. This vaccine is a new requirement for entry into 6th and 10th grades but we recommend it for all patients over age 10.
Offered to those 11 years and older, this vaccine protects against meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a potentially deadly brain infection that, although rare, tends to strike adolescents and young adults. Although not required, this disease is so devastating that we strongly recommend it to all our patients.
This vaccine protects girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer. The vaccine is available to all girls age 9-26. It is a three shot series, much like Hepatitis B. If your teenager has not yet begun this series, the first dose can be given at any time, with the second dose 2 months later and the third dose 6 months after the first. If you miss a dose, don’t worry. Catch-up doses can be given anytime without the need to start over.
|
The Medical Center of Aurora is under construction to add an expansion to the hospital and build a new parking garage. The construction has closed several parking lots around the hospital and we are finding that our patients may have to park a little further away than usual. In order to help this situation, the hospital generously provides our patients with free valet service or free shuttle service to and from your car. The valet is located at the temporary hospital entrance in front of our building. The shuttle may be picked up at designated locations throughout the parking lots. The shuttle drivers are very willing to pick you up anywhere along their route if you give them a wave.
Please keep in mind that with all of this construction, parking may take extra time. Because of this, we ask that you arrive on campus at least 15 minutes prior to your check-in time. This means, for example, that you should arrive on campus at 1:40, in order to check in at our front desk at 1:55 for a 2 o’clock appointment. New patients who are unfamiliar with our location should allow even more time. We understand that this can be an inconvenience and will allow for some leeway in late arrivals. However, we ask that you make every effort to be on time. For patients who are more than 15 minutes late, we will do our best to accommodate you but we may have to reschedule the visit.
|
