Nothing can ruin a holiday get-together more than spreading the flu. If you haven’t already had your flu shot, it’s a good idea to get it now because it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection.
Although the epidemic in whooping cough, or pertussis, is easing in Washington state, the bacteria that causes the disease is still actively circulating (for more details, visit this story from Seattle’s Child news partner The Seattle Times).
Health department officials are urging young children, teens and adults to get vaccinated and keep up to date with booster shots. This is especially important to protect newborns, who are too young to be vaccinated and suffer greater consequences of infection.
For more information, contact Public Health – Seattle & King County at 206-296-4600 or www.kingcounty.gov/health, the Snohomish Health District at 425-339-5200 or www.snohd.org, or the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at 1-800-992-2456 or www.tpchd.org.
