Paris and Union City, Tenn. – Flu kills. Seasonal influenza is responsible for thousands of premature
deaths in Tennessee and across the U.S. every year.
Flu shots are available at health departments across the state of Tennessee.
In Henry Co., Public Health Educator Rachel Matlock said people can call the office anytime to set up an appointment, and they will get them in and out as quickly as possible. “We do accept walk-ins, but appointments always help to ensure the least amount of wait time possible,” she said. The health department is located at 803 Joy St., 731 642 4025.
In Obion County, walk-ins are accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The health department is located at 1008 Mt. Zion Rd., 731 885 8722.
So far in this decade:
• More than 1,500 American children have died from seasonal influenza
• 51 children in Tennessee have died from seasonal influenza
• 185 American children died from seasonal flu just last year
• About 80 percent of the children who died from seasonal flu had not been fully
vaccinated
• Half of the children who died from seasonal flu had no known pre-existing risk
condition
• Two out of three children who died from seasonal flu lost their lives within seven days
of getting sick
• Six out of 10 children who died from seasonal flu lost their lives after being admitted to
the hospital
“The numbers are sobering. Every death, especially children, we see each flu season makes me
very sad, and our hearts go out to all the families who have lost loved ones due to influenza,”
said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “Yet it’s in our power to stop flu and
prevent most of the terrible deaths we see every year. Getting a flu shot is simple and the most
important thing you can do to help prevent the flu in yourself, and perhaps more importantly,
in others whose bodies can’t protect themselves as well.”
Flu season is here, with indications Tennessee and the U.S. could face another season with high
numbers of illnesses and deaths from influenza. The 2017 – 2018 flu season was one of the
worst in decades in this country according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
with a record-breaking number of hospitalizations and a high number of deaths. Those deaths
include 11 children and one pregnant woman in Tennessee who died from seasonal influenza.
Flu vaccination reduces the risk of death from flu in otherwise healthy children by two-thirds.
The Tennessee Department of Health and the CDC urge annual flu vaccination for
everyone over six months of age.
Flu vaccine is available now in numerous locations across Tennessee including county health
departments, private medical clinics and pharmacies. Find a map of local health department
locations and contact information online at www.tn.gov/health/health-programareas/localdepartments.html.
To find a flu vaccination site near you, visit
www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/flu-finder-widget.html.
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