Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness is now offering flu shots at several locations throughout the city.Health officials are recommending that everyone older than six months be immunized in preparation for the upcoming flu season, which is expected to last from mid-October through the end of February.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports there will be adequate supplies. But Dave Langdon, Metro Department of Health and Wellness spokesperson, encourages people to avoid the dangerous risk of flu and get their shots as soon as possible.“Nobody wants to be sick for the holidays,” Langdon said. “For certain groups of people flu can, in fact, be a deadly disease. Every year it is estimated that about 35,000 people in the United States will die from flu or complications.”Langdon said those certain groups of people that may be at a higher risk of getting the flu than others include “children under the age of five, people with certain chronic disease, people who are compromised, people aged 50 or older, people who are living in residential care settings and people who take care of those people.”Immunizations will be administered by the Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness with an appointment at the Dixie Health Center at7219 Dixie Highway,the Middletown Health Center at 200 Juneau Driveand the Newburg Health Center at 4810 Exeter Avenue. To make an appointment, call ahead (phone numbers here.)Drugstores, pharmacies and physician offices throughout the community will also be offering shots, Langdon said.The cost for immunizations at health department locations will be $25 for a shot, $35 for a nasal mist and $40 for a high-dose vaccine recommended for those older than 65 years. Children eligible for the Kentucky Vaccine Program can get a shot for $10. Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance will be accepted, though Langdon said no one will be turned away if you cannot pay upon receiving the vaccine.“The important thing is to just get vaccinated,” he said.For more information about the flu and vaccinations, visit flu.gov and the state's page on Kentucky Vaccine Program.(Image via Shutterstock)
