SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois health officials say it's time for people to start getting their annual flu shots.
The Public Health Department says virtually everyone should get a vaccination every year to guard against new strains of the flu. The exceptions are babies under 6 months old and people who are allergic to the vaccine.
Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck says vaccinations protect the people getting them and also vulnerable people who might suffer from a flu outbreak, such as the elderly or pregnant women.
Annual flu deaths range from 3,000 up to 49,000.
Hasbrouck also said Wednesday that it's a myth that people can get the flu from a vaccination.
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Online: http://www.idph.state.il.us/flu
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