Rambo beating the Flu with a Shot

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Rambo Memorial Health Center is offering flu shots and information on flu prevention.

The flu comes suddenly and last for days leaving a person with a fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, and so much more. Director Gloria Brown said Rambo feels strongly about keeping the community healthy this season.

“Each year thousands of people in the United States of America die from the flu,” Brown said. “Which is crazy, because the easiest way to not get the flu is to get the flu shot.”

“By us getting the vaccine we are protecting the whole community, because we’re keeping from spreading it ourselves,” said Registered Nurse Andrea Retherford.

Retherford says the flu shot vaccine is a dead virus which cannot cause a person to get the flu. Reasons a person may get sick with the flu is because they were infected with the virus by contact with an infected person before or during the first two weeks after getting the shot. For the shot takes two weeks to absorb into a person’s system.

Registered Nurse Chris Drake needs parents of young children to consider their health and have them get the correct flu dosages.

“Ages six months to eight years, if they have not received two doses of flu vaccine in the past,” Drake said. “Then they really need to get their two doses of the flu vaccine in this season and starting now would be a good time, because they need to wait four weeks in between the two doses.

For children between six months and eight years who have gotten two dosages in previous flu seasons only need one dose each season following.  The vaccine costs $5.00 for Muskingum County residents and $20.00 for others.  For information on flu shots and hours to stop by call the Rambo Memorial Health Center at (740) 452-5401.