FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 27, 2003

              Contact:

Stephen Summers

                                                                                         Risk Communicator stephens@passaiccountynj.org

(973) 225-3638

PATERSON – The Passaic County Department of Health launched a concerted education and promotional campaign over the month of November to notify Passaic county employees of available flu vaccination clinics. Overall, 210 county employees came in for their free vaccination.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) has especially urged local health departments to be proactive this year in getting the word out to the community about the flu. The Passaic County Department of Health has responded by helping to coordinate posting of all available flu clinic sites run by Passaic County local health departments. The listing of clinic sites is available on the NJDHSS web site, at www.nj.gov/flu. Additional information about the flu, as well as scheduled clinic dates and times, are available on the Passaic County Department of Health web site at www.pcdh.org.

Influenza is a serious illness that causes fever, aches and pains, sore throat, runny nose, chills and a severe, and often prolonged, cough. It is more than just a “bad cold,” and can lead to pneumonia and other complications, hospitalization and even death. It is particularly serious in infants and young children, in the elderly and in people with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes.

More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized by the flu each year and 36,000 people die from it, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu and pneumonia account for more than 2,000 deaths of New Jersey residents each year.

"Influenza is a serious public health threat. Last year, not one person in the U.S. died of SARS. But each year, about 36,000 Americans die from the flu. And the flu is preventable by vaccine, " said Health and Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. "Getting a flu shot each year is important not just to protect you from this disease, but also to prevent spread of flu to others who may be more vulnerable to the serious consequences of this illness."


 

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