COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – February is normally the time when the flu season peaks and the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency says it’s not too late to get a flu shot if you have not received one this season.
Director of Personal Health and Disease Protection Yvonne Atwood says an annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. She says vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children.
The flu season usually does not end until April but some years it could linger into May. So far, this flu season has not been as bad as 2017-2018 when flu-related deaths reached nearly 80,000 people around the country. It was the worst season since the 2009-10 influenza pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control says this years vaccine has been particularly effective on children.
The Community Health Agency hosts immunization clinics Mondays in Branch County, Tuesdays in St. Joseph County and Wednesdays in Hillsdale County.
