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Not Too Late To Get a Flu Shot, Area Doctors Advise

By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Flu season will be peaking in Pennsylvania in a few weeks, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society is urging residents to get flu shots.

The H3N2 strain of influenza has "drifted," or changed since flu cases first began showing up in September.  And that means the flu vaccine is 50-percent less effective.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society says it is expecting the number of flu cases to go up.

"In a typical flu season, the vaccine is 70 to 80 percent effective," notes Dr. John Goldman, an infectious disease specialist with the Pennsylvania Medical Society.  "The virus changed slightly,  so the vaccine is less effective this year."  Still, he notes, getting a flu shot still decreases you chances of getting the flu by about half.

Emergency medicine physician Todd Fijewski shared this vignette:

"A partner of mine who works at a neighboring hospital said that's all she did (this past weekend): influenza cases.  You can't say that the whole state is going to see that, but it certainly seems to be trending that more flu is coming," Dr. Fijewski tells KYW Newsradio.

Doctors urge anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms to stay home from work, don't shake hands, get lots of rest, and stay away from people who are very young, very old, or who have compromised immune systems.

Also, doctors say it's not too late to get a flu shot, to minimize the risk to yourself and others.

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