VA North Texas Hosts Successful Facebook Town Hall, «The Flu Shot: Get the Facts!»

DALLAS – VA North Texas Health Care System successfully held their first Facebook Town Hall, “The Flu Shot: Get the Facts!” this morning. Veterans and their families asked a wide variety of questions about Seasonal Influenza and great questions about the flu shot. This year, influenza has been more severe than previous years, particularly in young and middle-aged healthy adults. Flu symptoms include: fever over 100 degrees, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, and runny or stuffy nose. If you have flu symptoms and experience shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, sudden dizziness, or pain or pressure in the chest, seek medical care as quickly as possible.
“The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated every year and it is not too late to get vaccinated” said Dr. Roger Bedimo, Section Chief of Infectious Diseases at VA North Texas. Dr. James Cutrell, Infectious Disease Physician explained, “Recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that almost 80,000 hospitalizations related to the flu were prevented by vaccination in 2012-2013 alone.” Both Dr. Bedimo and Dr. Cutrell want Veterans and their families to know the flu virus is spread through coughing or sneezing and by touching a hard surface with the virus on it, then touching the nose or mouth. You can also help reduce your risk of flu by washing hands frequently and avoiding those who are sick. Veterans are highlyencouraged to visit their primary care teams today for a flu shot – no appointment is necessary.
The VA North Texas Infection Prevention Team were very excited to bring more awareness to seasonal influenza and dispel rumors and misinformation about the flu shot with today’s innovative town hall.
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VA North Texas Health Care System serves more than 113,000 patients each year, delivering more than 1.4 million outpatient visits to Veterans in 38 North Texas counties and two counties in southern Oklahoma.