JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Another flu season is here, and we want to help you protect your children and families.
Every year when the kids go back to school, the flu comes back as well.
“It’s very common and it comes every year,” Dr. Prasanthi Reddy, the CEO and Medical Director of the Rainbow Pediatric Center said.
The Duval County Medical Society Foundation’s #FluVaxJax campaign is kicking off its fourth year and providing free flu vaccines.
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“The #FluVaxJax campaign has stuck particularly because we do offer free flu vaccine vouchers for the people that are uninsured,” said Dr. Sunil Joshi, the city of Jacksonville’s Chief Health Officer.
Dr. Prasanthi Reddy with the Rainbow Pediatric Center said now is the time to get the flu vaccine.
“It’s an important virus to talk about because it spreads through close contacts, through respiratory droplets, so the more time people spend around each other, the more time it spreads,” said Dr. Reddy.
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Data from the Duval County Medical Society Foundation shows that in an average year, about 37% of adults in northeast Florida got the flu vaccine.
During the 2020-2021 flu season, the campaign helped to increase the adult flu vaccination rate to over 48% by the end of the flu season.
Dr. Reddy said since the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw some vaccine hesitancy. She
said during that time, kids were wearing masks, and washing their hands, and they saw infections drop not only the flu, but they saw a drop in all other infections among children.
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“Once kids started going back to school, we saw again an influx in these types of infections, and we expect that influenza is going to be one such infection,” said Dr. Reddy.
Dr. Reddy said children from 6 months to 6 years old are at most risk and she said the vaccine is a way you can help boost your child’s immunity.
“Getting the vaccine is one of the most important ways you can protect your children against influenza,” said Dr. Reddy.
To request a voucher, you can visit fluvaxjax.com and select “Get a Vaccine.”
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