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Flu Season Begins in the Garden State: Saint Barnabas Medical Center Offers Information LIVINGSTON, NJ -- According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), flu season has begun in New Jersey. The CDC announced in their weekly Influenza Summary Report for the week ending October 19, 2002 that “influenza activity was reported as sporadic in 10 states (Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and West Virginia) and Washington, D.C. Millions of people in the United States — about 10-20 percent of U.S. residents — will get the flu each year. An average of about 20,000 people per year in the United States die from complications associated with the flu, and 114,000 per year have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. “While the ideal time to receive the flu vaccine is before the flu reaches your area, there is still time to get your flu shot,” says James McEnrue, M.D., attending physician in emergency medicine and Director of the Emergency Department at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “The flu season is a long one, sometimes lasting through April, and we hope that people can avoid both the flu and any complications that might result in a visit to the emergency department or a hospital stay.” This year, for the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics is encouraging that flu vaccine be given to all healthy children, especially those aged 6 to 23 months. This age group has a high likelihood of hospitalization if they get the flu. Children under age 9 receive a two-dose vaccine, with the shots given one month apart. Saint Barnabas Medical Center and the CDC provide the following information about influenza, commonly referred to as the flu.
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