Flu Clinics

Oh No - the aches, the fatigue, the fever and the cough. It's the flu!

The flu can keep you sick for days and it can sometimes lead to pneumonia. Protect you and your family with this year's flu vaccine, updated for current strains. The vaccine will keep your symptoms mild or help you avoid the flu altogether. Get your shot before the flu gets you.

Children's Flu Vaccination -

Get your family vaccinated in October or November, before flu season peaks, for vaccinations to be most effective.  Parents should accompany their children.

Say Boo to the Flu - Special dates are scheduled at Aspirus Pediatrics, located at 2720 Plaza Drive on the Aspirus Wausau Hospital Campus, for children 6 months to 18 years of age.  Parents should accompany their children and bring along insurance information.

Thursday, October 15 -  5:30-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 17 -  9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
On Saturday, special features will include live musical entertainment, clown, face painting and popcorn

Say Boo to the Flu is made possible through a national campaign and partnership with the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, Families Fighting Flu and The Clorox Company.

For this year's flu schedule, CLICK HERE.

To receive a flu schedule by mail, call the Aspirus Information Center at 715-847-2380 or 1-800-847-4707.  For questions about vaccinations call Aspirus VNA Home Health at 715-847-2600 or 1-800 600-8296.  

Want to schedule a flu clinic for your group?
If you would like to schedule a flu clinic for your organization please call 715-847-2600 or 800-600-8296.

Influenza vaccine – what you need to know

Influenza (the flu) occurs when a virus spreads from an infected person to others. The "influenza season" in the U.S. is from November through April each year.

Influenza can cause:

• Fever
• Cough
• Chills
• Sore Throat
• Headache
• Muscle Aches

People of any age can get influenza. Most people are ill with influenza for only a few days, but some get much sicker and need to be hospitalized. Influenza causes thousands of deaths each year, mostly among the elderly.

Influenza vaccine can prevent influenza
The viruses that cause influenza change often. For this reason, the influenza vaccine is updated each year to make sure that influenza vaccine is as up-to-date and as effective as possible in preventing the flu. Protection develops about 2 weeks after the shot and may last up to a year.

People at risk for getting a serious case of influenza or influenza complications, and people in close contact with them (including all household members) should get the vaccine.

An annual flu shot is recommended for these groups:

• Adults 50 years of age and older
• Residents of long term care facilities with chronic medical conditions
• People with a serious long-term health condition, such as a weakened immune system due to:
  • HIV/Aids or other diseases that affect the immune system
  • Long-term treatment with drugs such as steroids
  • Cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs
• Women who will be past the 3rd month of pregnancy during the influenza season
• Health care professionals, family members or others in close contact with people at risk of serious influenza

Others who should consider getting influenza vaccine include:

• People who provide essential community services
• Travelers to the Southern hemisphere between April and September, or those traveling to the tropics any time during the year
• Students and staff at schools and colleges, to prevent outbreaks
• Individuals who wants to reduce their chance of catching influenza

Pneumococcal Vaccine –
What You Need To Know

Pneumococcal is a serious disease that can cause sickness and death. In fact, pneumococcal disease kills more people in the United States each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined.

Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. Some people are at greater risk for the disease, including people 65 and older, the very young, and people with certain health problems such as: alcoholism, heart or lung disease, kidney failure, diabetes, HIV infection, or certain types of cancer.

Pneumococcal disease can lead to serious infections of the lungs (pneumonia), the blood (bacteremia), and the covering of the brain (meningitis). About 1 out of every 20 people who get pneumococcal pneumonia dies from it, as do about 2 people of 10 who get bacteremia and 3 people out of 10 who get meningitis. The disease is more likely to be fatal for people with special health conditions.

Drugs such as penicillin were once effective in treating these infections. However, the disease has become more resistant to these drugs, making treatment of pneumococcal infections more difficult. This makes prevention of the disease through vaccination even more important.

Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV)
The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) protects against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. Most healthy adults who get the vaccine develop protection to most of all of these types within 2 to 3 weeks of getting the shot. Very old people, children under 2 years of age, and people with some long-term illnesses might not respond as well or at all.

Who should get PPV?

• All adults 65 years or older
• Anyone over 2 years of age who has a long-term health problem such as:
  
  • Heart Disease
  • Sickle Cell Disease
  • Alcoholism
  • Lung Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Cirrhosis
  • Leaks of Cerebrospinal Fluid
• Anyone 2 years or older who has a disease or condition that lowers the body's resistance to infections, such as:
  
  • Hodgkin's disease
  • Kidney Failure
  • Nephritic Syndrome
  • Lymphoma, Leukemia
  • Multiple Myeloma
  • HIV Infections
  • AIDS damaged Spleen or no Spleen
  • Organ Transplant
• Anyone over 2 years of age who is taking any drug or treatment that lowers the body's resistance to infections, such as:
  
  • Long-term Steroids
  • Radiation Therapy
  • Certain Cancer Drugs