Washington, D.C., October 24, 2005 – While the nation prepares for the potential of a new form of influenza, the American Public Health Association (APHA) today reminds all Americans to prepare for the annual flu season by getting their vaccinations. Every year in the United States, about 36,000 people die from the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Starting today, the CDC advises everyone to get vaccinated to reduce the chance of getting the flu. Each year, on average, 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu, and some people, such as older people, young children and people with certain health conditions, such as brain injury or disease, are at high risk for serious flu complications. The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination each fall. The current vaccine, however, will not protect Americans from the potentially fatal avian influenza: the H5N1 virus strain.
“In an era during which new and re-emerging diseases, such as the H5N1 avian flu virus, are potential public health threats, Americans should not forget to take the proper precautions to protect their health against the diseases that threaten us today,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Thirty-six thousand Americans will die this year from the flu and related illness. It’s a potentially fatal disease we know is here and one for which we all must prepare.”
Last year, APHA’s Governing Council approved a policy, “Developing a Comprehensive Public Health Approach to Influenza Vaccination,” that encourages the allocation of sufficient financial and human resources at local and state public health agencies and hospitals to improve their response in light of last year’s flu vaccine shortage. Among other proposals, the policy urges Congress and the president to support the establishment of a federal vaccine purchase program for uninsured adults, including those for whom the flu vaccine is recommended, and calls for resources for the development of local and regional Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plans that specify actions that local public health agencies and hospitals should take in the event of a flu outbreak. The policy is available at www.apha.org.
Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions.