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Show Health officers urge flu immunizations Reinforcing warnings by national na-tional authorities, President Ralph E. IJorgensen, M.D., Utah State Medical Association Associa-tion and G. D. Carlyle Thompson, Thomp-son, M.D., Director of Public Health urged in a joint letter today that all physicians and local health officers promote early immunization against influenza. in-fluenza. The warning applies specially to persons in certain "high risk groups." "All Utah citizens past the age of 45 should be vaccinated promptly against Asian influenza." influ-enza." says Dr. Thompson. "For those not previously immunized, im-munized, two shots are reeom-mender: reeom-mender: One NOW, the second in' about two months. If you had two shots, or even one, last year, a booster shot will heighten the immunity." Influenza always on the increase in-crease in fall and winter, assumes as-sumes epidemic proportions in more or less identifiable cycles. cyc-les. The United States Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Influenza says that a study of recent and past patterns indicates in-dicates that "widespread outbreaks out-breaks of Influenza A2 (Asian) will occur in the United States during the 1962-63 winter season." sea-son." "The reason why older peo-p peo-p 1 e should be vaccinated against influenza," warns Dr. Thompson, is that flu is a killer kil-ler following or in concert with other diseases which have weakened wea-kened those in and beyond the middle years." EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, according to Dr. Thompson, is the immunization of persons in certain other specialized groups OF ANY AGE because of the high rate of death among these if they catch influenza. These groups are: those with heart disease, lung or kidney infections; ditbetes or other metabolic diseases; and pregnant preg-nant women. The State Board of Health in its monthly meeting in Salt Lake City today, endorsed the preventive action taken by the health authorities and physicians; physi-cians; and urged all citizens to cooperate to prevent a possibly pos-sibly serious influenza epidemic epide-mic in Utah. Join the Garden Club and help beautify Springville. |