| Influenza |
Influenza Information
MultiCare Health System now is offering flu vaccines to patients at clinics in King and Pierce counties. Patients who would like a vaccine should call your MultiCare provider directly to schedule an appointment.
Find your MultiCare Clinic.
Get a Flu Vaccine Every Flu Season
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people should get vaccinated every year for two reasons. The first reason is that because flu viruses are constantly changing, flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against the most recent and most commonly circulating viruses.The second reason that yearly vaccination is recommended is that a person's immune protection from vaccination declines over time so annual vaccination is needed for optimal protection. So, yearly vaccination is recommended even for those who received the vaccine during the previous season.
CDC Recommendations:
While flu activity usually peaks in January or February, the flu itself is unpredictable. And although there are many different flu viruses, the yearly flu vaccine protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be most common that flu season.Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine each flu season, and it's especially important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:
- Pregnant women
- Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
- People 50 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
For a complete list of all people recommended for flu vaccination, as well as those who are not recommended for flu vaccination, visit Who Should Get Vaccinated.
Keeping our MultiCare Hospitals Influenza Free
As the flu season continues, we ask that people who exhibit flu-like or respiratory symptoms avoid visiting patients at any of our four Pierce County hospitals. In some areas of the hospitals including the birthing centers and the pediatric units, health care providers will screen visitors for respiratory symptoms to ensure a healthy environment for patients.MultiCare staff reflect on what they would "give up" to not get the flu virus.
