Free Flu Shot Clinic Oct 18

The Newtown Health District will hold a townwide flu shot clinic on Wednesday, October 18, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the senior center on Riverside Road.

Health District Director Mark A.R. Cooper said he has an ample supply of the vaccine.

Those who should consider getting the vaccine are persons aged 65 or older, adults or children with a chronic disease or a weak immune system, health care workers, community service workers, and nursing home residents.

The federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) wants more people to get flu shots. The agency recommended last April that everyone 50 and older get flu shots. It previously had urged Americans 65 and older to get vaccinated.

Nearly 20,000 people die of flu complications every year in the United States. Most of them are old, chronically ill, or both.

Influenza typically appears in Connecticut between Thanks giving and Christmas, and peaks in January or February, said Dr Matthew Cartter, the state Department of Health’s epidemiology program coordinator.

For more information about the flu shot clinic, call the Health District at 270-4291.