Duval Medical Society kicks off campaign to save money and lives this flu season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Flu season is just around the corner and some early cases have already surfaced, with Dr. Sunil Joshi, the chief health officer for the City of Jacksonville warning it could be a rough flu season ahead.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“There were some cases this summer, some cases already this August, so we’re already seeing cases come through, which means it could be a difficult flu season,” Dr. Joshi told Action News Jax Wednesday. “But we usually don’t know until after the flu season when we can look back in retrospect.”

Now, the Duval County Medical Society is looking to help families in need by giving out free flu vaccine vouchers through the fifth annual FluVaxJax campaign. The program has already distributed over 5,000 free vaccines during the last four years, and now the city’s public health leaders are looking to help families stay safe this flu season.

“If you suffer with chronic health conditions like asthma or emphysema or heart disease or diabetes, you can get pneumonia from the flu, you can get brain infections from the flu,” warned Dr. Joshi. “The flu can kill you.”

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

For those in Jacksonville who are uninsured, these vouchers aim to keep families healthy and save some money.

“It can be anywhere between 30 and 50 dollars per shot wherever you go and so if you have a family of four, you can be looking at almost 200 dollars just to get a flu vaccine to prevent you getting sick,” Dr. Joshi outlined.

Those interested in applying for the program can do so at the FluVaxJax website by clicking here.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.