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908.369.4313

379 South Branch Road
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
908.369.4313

379 South Branch Road
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
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Get Ready for Flu Season - It's More Important Than Ever!

Please do not come to the clinic if you have a fever or feel feverish

The Hillsborough Health Department and Green Brook Family Practice will sponsor  the 2020 flu vaccinations for Hillsborough residents. The clinic for residents will be held on Thursday, September 24  at the Hillsborough Municipal Building. Senior Citizens and high risk individuals with chronic conditions only will be admitted from 1:30 to 3:30pm, and all other residents, ages 6 months and up, will be admitted from 3:30 to 6:30pm. There will be Senior vaccinations available,  as well as vaccine without preservatives.  The Cost is $30 or accepted insurances. Green Brook Family Medicine accepts most major insurance plans except for HMO's . Please bring ALL insurance cards to the clinic especially if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan. A list of currently accepted insurance plans are listed on Green Brook Family Medicine's web site at  https://www.greenbrookfamilymedicine.com/portal/become-an-green-brook-family-medicine-patient/current-insurance-plans/default.aspx.

You must  bring a mask and your Medicare or Insurance card. You can fill out the registration here: 2020 Influenza Vaccine Administration Checklist form ahead of time, and bring it with you to save time.

Please make sure that you wear a mask, and that you wear a short sleeved shirt or shirt that can be easily rolled up past the shoulder. You will be expected to social distance at least 6 ft. while at the clinic. 

During this COVID 19 Pandemic, it is important to ensure that your body is strong and can fight disease. Eating right, drinking fluids, washing hands, and covering coughs are all essential ingredients. Getting a flu vaccination helps to prevent the damage that flu can do to the body, which weakens the immune system, and allows other bacteria and viruses to thrive. It’s more important than ever to be sure that you have protection against the flu. You may have heard that the flu vaccination gives you the flu, but it is a killed vaccine, and cannot attack your body. What may happen is an immune reaction- your body reacts to the possible intruder, and it is getting ready for a real attack.

You also may have heard that the flu vaccine is not effective. However, each year it prevents thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. When the population is immunized, the fight is easier- with herd immunity. This protects those who are vulnerable to serious illness and can’t be vaccinated. It is so important, especially during this pandemic, to get a flu shot!

The Center for Disease Control recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months be vaccinated by the end of October. The flu can stick around through May, so it is not too late to get a flu shot after October.  Remember that you cannot get the flu from the flu shot and the flu shot takes 2 weeks to be fully effective. Please read reasons to get a flu vaccine by the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/general/why-get-flu-vaccine.pdf. This document also lists conditions that increase the risk of complications from the flu, since people with immune deficiencies, chronic conditions, the elderly, and young children can be at a greater risk of complications from the flu, which may be severe.

The flu virus is contagious for 24 hours before symptoms appear to 7 days (or more for children) after symptoms begin. Most of the time it is spread by droplets in the air when someone coughs or sneezes, but it can also be spread when the droplets land on a surface, and a person touches that surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. Once the virus enters a person’s body, it incubates for 1 to 3 days before symptoms appear. 

 There is sometimes confusion about what is flu and what is a cold. Generally, flu causes fever, body aches and pains, fatigue and weakness, chest discomfort and cough. Sometimes there are other symptoms as well. Please see  www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/flu/is_it_a_cold_the_flu.pdf  for more about when to suspect the flu. 

If you think you have the flu, stay home from school or work, drink fluids, rest, and call your doctor. There are antiviral medications that can be prescribed that will help you get better faster if taken early. Please see www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/flu/selfcare.pdf for more information about how to care for yourself and family members with the flu, and dangerous signs to look for in young children and adults.

To prevent the spread of flu, get a flu shot, wash your hands frequently, don’t touch your face, keep away from people coughing or sneezing, sanitize frequently touched surfaces regularly, keep your body healthy by eating healthy and drinking water, cover your cough, stay home when you are sick. 

Remember: All preschool age children from age 6 months to 59 months must be vaccinated against the flu in order to attend school. This regulation was adopted by the NJ Department of Health because young children are susceptible to severe complications from the flu. Unless the parents speak with the school about a medical condition or a religious belief that prevents the child from having a flu shot, if children are not vaccinated, and there is no form signed by the doctor or parent for a release from the requirement, the child will not be able to attend school without a flu shot. Immunization of the population protects those who cannot be immunized. 

Also, the flu vaccinations are KILLED viruses. They will stimulate your immune system to fight the various strains of flu circulating this year. THEY WILL NOT CAUSE YOU TO GET THE FLU. NO vaccine is 100% effective, and that includes the flu vaccine. In order to protect those who can’t be vaccinated, those who can be vaccinated should do so, and then the population will have resistance together- herd immunity, which will protect those who can’t be vaccinated. Each year people die or are hospitalized due to the flu. It is important that we take the usual precautions and get vaccinated so we can all be protected. 

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