Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Healthwatch, we're talking about getting ready for flu season. People at high risk for flu complications, including the elderly and those with chronic heart or lung problems, should not only be vaccinated against the flu but also get another shot.
Dr. Paul Pepe, chairman of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says anyone who needs to have a flu shot should also consider being vaccinated against the pneumonia bacteria. Complications from the flu kill more than 40,000 people a year, and many of these deaths are attributed with a bacterial infection that accompanies the viral infection of the flu.
The elderly, the very young, those with compromised immune systems and those with chronic heart or lung disease should have this shot, which protects against the most common pneumonia bacteria.
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October 2005
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