Blog

By: Michael de Yoanna

Category: Elevated Voices

Posted: September 1, 2010 10:53 AM

Why Health Officials Want Just About Everyone to Get a Flu Shot This Year

Though temperatures are still hovering around the 80s and a few more weeks of summer are left, you've likely noticed the flu-shot signs at local drug and grocery stores. Unlike years past—when health officials considered the vulnerable, elderly, and young priorities for limited flu vaccines—this year officials are recommending that nearly everyone receive a flu shot, reports 9News.

And the vaccines should be easier than ever to find. Thanks to a new law backed by state Representative Jim Riesberg, a Greeley Democrat, staff from stores that traditionally offer the shots can now travel to places like assisted-living centers to administer them.

Federal health officials warn that the potentially deadly H1N1, or "swine flu," is expected to circulate again this year. This time, however, the vaccine protects against the original illness, as well as the B strain and another known as "Perth H3N2," according to The Denver Post.

Last season, at least 69 people died of influenza in Colorado, but suspicions surrounding vaccines remain, and this year they're being fueled by the fact that shots are manufactured using eggs. But The Wall Street Journal, quoting the Food and Drug Administration and vaccine manufacturers, reports the massive egg recall spurred by a salmonella outbreak won't taint vaccines because of safety measures and manufacturing methods, as well as egg production that is separate from the food supply.

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