It’s time to fight the sixth biggest killer of Missourians. And, it might be as simple as inhaling. It’s flu shot time. Flu season will start creeping in upon us in a few weeks, usually peaking in February or so. Federal health officials say there’s no shortage of flu vaccine. And it’s being sent out in plenty of time for innoculations. The State Health Department’s Sue Denney says people are urged to get their shots as soon as they can. The Department is even suggesting shots be given to children six months to 23 months old, to protect them from catching the flu at daycare centers, or to protect them from siblings who bring it home from school. And now, many people can get protection by sniffing it. Flu-Mist is to be used only by people five to 50 years old because the Food and Drug Administration has not fully tested it for people younger or older than those ages. Those folks will just have to get it the old fashioned way – through a needle. Denney says the flu and pneumonia – which sometimes comes from the flu – killed 1,600 Missourians in 2001, the last year the figures are fully available.
