Contact:
Kent Donahue
Kent.Donahue@flhealth.gov

407-858-1418

407-912-0132 (cell)

@GOHealthyOrange

The start of the 2020 Flu season is right around the corner, and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) encourages all Floridians to Fight the Flu by getting a flu shot. 

The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older, including pregnant women. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for your body to develop protection against the flu. Every flu season is unique, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu.

 Receiving your flu vaccination if you are healthy helps to prevent illness in our most vulnerable populations. People at higher risk for flu-related complications include children ages newborn to five, adults over the age of 65, pregnant women and people who have existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and those with a weakened immune system.

Check with your physician or use our Flu Shot Locator to schedule your flu vaccine. Visit FluFreeFlorida.com for more information on how you can be a part of a Flu Free Florida.

Here are tips to prevent the spread of seasonal flu:

• practice good hygiene by properly and frequently washing your hands with soap and water
• make it a habit to clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces in your home, school or office
• take additional steps to ward off the flu by coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow and avoiding touching your face
• if you are sick, stay at home to mitigate the transmission of the virus

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.