Getting your flu shot is one way to protect yourself and those around you from getting sick this fall and winter. Everyone 6 months an older should get a flu vaccine.
MANET PATIENTS, you can get your flu shot at any regularly scheduled appointment with your provider or by calling your site to make a flu shot appointment.
Here are some tips from the MA Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for parents and families to prevent illness and stay healthy this season:
- Vaccinate children ages 6 months and older against influenza and COVID-19 (children 5+ should get a COVID-19 booster 2 month after their primary series). You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot at the same time.
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or an elbow, not a hand.
- Clean high touch surfaces in your home frequently with household disinfectants.
- Keep children home from daycare or school who have fever, especially with a cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, congestion, runny nose, or sore throat, until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medications that reduce fever.
- Avoid social gatherings if you or your children are ill.
- Contact your pediatrician or healthcare provider if you believe your child needs medical care. Your provider can offer advice on whether your child needs to be evaluated in person, tested for COVID or flu, and the best location (doctor’s office, urgent care, emergency room) for care.