Seasonal flu vaccine clinics scheduled this week

The Flathead City-County Health Department has received a shipment of seasonal flu vaccine and has scheduled two clinics for adults 19 and older.

The clinics take place:

• Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Trade Center Building at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

• Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork.

These vaccinations are $25, payable by check or cash or with a Medicare or Medicaid card. No H1N1 (swine) flu immunizations will be given at these clinics.

Health officials remind the public that seasonal flu infects from 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population each year, causing hospitalization of 200,000 and the death of 36,000 people every year.

Vaccination offers the best protection from infection with the flu.

The next H1N1 clinic takes place Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 3 to 7 p.m. at St. Richard’s Catholic Church in Columbia Falls. This free immunization is available to people 6 months to 24 years, caregivers of children under 6 months and adults over 24 with compromised immune systems or chronic illnesses.

Parents or guardians are encouraged to bring children 9 and under to the clinic for their second vaccination doses if 28 days have elapsed since the first dose. Children who had their first H1N1 dose on or before Nov. 3 qualify to have their second vaccination at the Dec. 1 clinic in Columbia Falls.

Additional information about vaccinations is available from the health department’s flu hot line at 751-8188 or from the Web site www.flatheadhealth.org.