DOWNEY - The city of Downey and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will offer free flu vaccinations this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Downey Theatre.The clinic will provide seasonal flu vaccines for residents of all ages. It will be held rain or shine. Kaiser Permanente and Downey Regional Medical Center will assist with logistical support while nursing students from Rio Hondo College will be the primary vaccinators. Los Angeles County Public Health nurses will also be on-hand to answer questions from the public. Volunteers from Warren High School, along with the Downey Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Emergency Preparedness Committee, will handle registration, logistics and patient flow. Getting a flu vaccination is the best way to avoid the complications of influenza. Every year, thousands of people with chronic health conditions contract the flu and risk serious health complications like pneumonia. Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record. Millions of Americans receive a flu shot every year. Flu vaccines cannot give you the flu; they are made from killed or weakened influenza viruses. Most people do not have any complications as a result of their vaccination. When side effects do occur, they are generally mild and include redness or soreness at the vaccination site. Occasionally, a sore throat, runny nose and rarely a fever occur after the use of the nasal spray vaccine. The rare consequences can be inconvenient and uncomfortable but are still milder than a base case of the flu and resolve quickly in comparison. The following people are considered to be at especially high risk for complications from influenza: •children ages 6 months to 4 years and their household contacts and caregivers •adults over 50 years old •healthcare personnel •pregnant women •those with chronic health problems (pulmonary, cardiovascular, etc.) and their caregivers •residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities and their caregivers Questions or comments can be sent to ready@downeyca.org.

********** Published: November 10, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 30