Every year in the United States several thousands of people get infected with the flu and another hundreds of them die due to the seasonal flu. Health officials are asking people to get flu vaccinations to stay protected from the flu.

Recently in the West Piedmont Health District’s free seasonal flu drive-thru clinic on October 29 in uptown Martinsville, Hershey said getting flu shots is the best way to stay protected from getting flu.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) recommended people to get yearly influenza vaccination. They said it is the most important step in protection, according to the VDH website.

Hershey, said, “A recent study showed that from 2005-11, influenza vaccination was estimated to prevent 136 million illnesses, 5.8 million medical visits and nearly 113,000 influenza-related hospitalizations in the United States (Kostova et. al, 2013)”.

Apart from getting vaccination, one must ensure to cover mouth whenever you cough or sneeze. Washing hands is also strictly recommended, said Hershey.

The Associated press reported that last year’s flu season was very rough as the new Type A strain busted. Flu-related hospitalizations of seniors were the highest recorded in the decade that CDC has counted.

The people who were least vaccinated in the last year were adults with age from 18 to 49 years. On the other hand, vaccination rates among children ages 6 months to 23 months were the highest.

The CDC said even health kids and adults need to get flu vaccines not only to protect from getting flu but also to stop its spread among others.