Flu season is just around the corner, which means it’s time to get your annual flu vaccine. Get a flu vaccine for yourself and your family before the end of October, if possible.
Influenza, also known as flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Flu can be a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Every flu season is different, and flu viruses can affect people differently. It’s important to remember that even healthy people can get the flu, and spread it to others who are more vulnerable to serious flu or flu-related illness. Those with health problems, adults 65 years and older, and young children, for example, are at high risk of becoming seriously ill from flu.
Every year in the United States millions of people become sick, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from the flu. A typical flu season in the U.S. can begin as early as October and can last as late as May.
Flu vaccination is the first (and best) way to protect against flu each year. September 28, 2017, marks the annual kickoff of the flu awareness campaign led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), and many other partners working together to protect people from flu. The campaign emphasizes the importance of annual vaccination for everyone age 6 months and older, and raises awareness about the potential dangers of flu.
#FightFlu this season by getting yourself and your loved ones vaccinated today! You can help spread the word by sharing this flu vaccination message on your social media channels.
How to show your support:
1. Join the Thunderclap.
Select social media channel(s) to share the Thunderclap message.
Authorize Thunderclap to use your account. (This is necessary in order for Thunderclap to be able to count your followers, which helps increase the reach of our campaign, and send out a one-time message on September 28, 2017.)
Watch #FightFlu on September 28 as Thunderclap participants proclaim their unified support for annual flu vaccination.
2. Spread the Word.
Share how you plan to fight flu this season on social media with the hashtag #FightFlu, and encourage your followers to do the same. Original pictures or videos with #FightFlu may be shared from @CDCFlu’s Twitter profile!
3. #FightFlu
Get your flu vaccine and spread the word to encourage others to do the same.
For more information about flu and flu vaccination, please visit www.cdc.gov/flu and www.nfid.org/flu and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @CDCFlu and @NFIDvaccines.
