American Lung Association Joins Health Officials to Prevent the Spread of Influenza by Urging People to Get ...( Newly Updated Flu Clinic Locator ...),Health

Newly Updated Flu Clinic Locator Available on http://www.flucliniclocator.org, Helps People Find Local Vaccination Clinics and Stay Healthy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Lung Association is making it a little easier for people to get their flu shot this season with the availability of its 2008-2009 Flu Clinic Locator. The largest online directory of public influenza vaccination clinics is now available at http://www.flucliniclocator.org.

The American Lung Association's Flu Clinic Locator is an easy-to-use online resource, enabling individuals to find the most convenient place to get their flu shot. The locator includes more than 40,000 clinic locations across the country, searchable by ZIP code. It also provides the option to set up an appointment e-mail reminder, along with the option to sign up for influenza-specific updates throughout the season.

At a national news conference today, health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and other groups strongly urged Americans to get vaccinated throughout the entire influenza season (October through March) to protect themselves from this potentially deadly disease.

With nearly 250 million people now recommended to receive a yearly influenza vaccine, the American Lung Association warns that most people don't realize they need to be vaccinated. Influenza immunization rates among adults and children fall short of public health goals every year despite government recommendations. On average, 36,000 Americans die and 226,000 people are hospitalized each year due to influenza and its complications.

"Despite serious health risks associated with influenza, many people just don't see themselves as needing a flu shot," says Norman H. Edelman, M.D., American
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