It's still idea to get vaccinated...
NEGAUNEE TWP -- While it may seem like flu season is over, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it's not.
The H1N1 virus is still considered a pandemic and flu season is still here. The Marquette County Health Department wants the U.P. to be prepared. Although H1N1 hospitalizations in the state of Michigan have recently decreased, MCHD medical director Dr. Kevin Piggott says we aren't out of the woods just yet.
"We are currently past the second wave," said Dr. Piggott. "We don't know if there will be a third wave, but there certainly can be."
Flu season generally begins in April and can run as late as May, and with the added H1N1 virus, this season is unpredictable. So how do we protect ourselves from the impending third wave of both the seasonal and pandemic flus? The health department is sticking to its guns...vaccination.
"Vaccine is all about prevention," said MCHD health officer Fred Benzie. "We know that the risks, once you get the flu, are far greater from the risks from being vaccinated, so from a public health perspective in my mind, it's far wiser to become vaccinated and protect yourself."
Over 10,000 seasonal and pandemic immunizations have been given in Marquette County to date, but the health department says that's still not enough. They hope to create herd immunity, meaning enough of the community would be vaccinated to protect the unvaccinated from a third wave.
"When we talk about herd immunity; we have not really reached the levels of immunization or immunity in the population that we could say herd immunity is sufficient to prevent a reocurrance," Dr. Piggott said.
Over half of Marquette County's population needs to get vaccinated in order to create herd immunity, and it's not too late to get your shots!
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