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Show Senior Citizens should be vaccinated against influenza Senior citizens, particularly particu-larly those over the ago of 65, should bo vaccinated against influenza. Hut very few have taken advantage of free influenza influ-enza shots being offered by most health departments depart-ments this year, a Utuh Department of Social Services Ser-vices officiul said. According to Dr. Taira Fukushimu, Deputy Director Direc-tor of Health, Disease Control Bianch, to date, less than 6,000 senior citizens are estimated to have received influenza vaccine through their local health departments. Another An-other 20,000 doses are still available to immunize the elderly and other high risk adults and children against the influenza strains predicted for this winter. Fukushima noted that his low turnout is especially especi-ally striking when compared com-pared to approximately 160,000 elderly and other high risk persons immunized immun-ized in the Utah influenza campaign of 1976. Part of the reason for this is that the influenza program was approved by Congress late in September Septem-ber and the health departments depart-ments did not receive vaccine until mid-October, Fukushima said. "The special formulation of influenza vaccine for high risk children only arrived November 29, but is now available for distribution to private physicians so it may be administered to their high risk patients." Influenza can be very serious for the elderly and persons with certain chronic chro-nic illnesses. Such persons per-sons may develop pneu- monia or other severe complications, he continued. contin-ued. He stressed that this year's influenza vaccine has been tested on more than 2,000 volunteers. "Most people had no side effects, some individuals developed a sore arm andor mild influenza symptoms. Serious reactions reac-tions to the vaccine are rarely reported," he emphasized. em-phasized. In 1976, a paralytic condition known as the Guilluin-Barre Syndrome was associated with influenza influ-enza vaccination but only about 1 out of every 100,000 adults given influenza influ-enza vaccine was affected, he said. Fukushima em- phasizcd that the risk of influenza is 1,000 times greater than the risk associated with the vaccine. vac-cine. "It is important for the elderly and other high risk persons to receive influenza influ-enza vaccine as soon as possible. It takes two to three weeks to develop immunity after the immunization im-munization and from past experience, the influenza season will soon be upon us," said Dr. Fukushima. Senior citizens ages 65 and older should contact any of the 10 health departments offering the vaccine, or their private doctor to arrange to receive immunization. Other high risk adults or parents of high risk children should contact their private doctor. Health departments providing free influenza vaccine for persons 65 and older are: Salt Lake City-County City-County Health Department, Depart-ment, David County Health Department, Tooele Too-ele County Health Department, Depart-ment, Summit County Health Department, Bear River District Health Department, De-partment, Central Utah District Health Department, Depart-ment, Southeastern District Dis-trict Health Department, Southwestern District Health Department, Uintah Uin-tah Basin District Health Department and Weber-Morgan Weber-Morgan District Health Department. |