There have been two fatalities directly linked to influenza in Kitsap County since November. Neither were connected to the military, but with this in mind, Naval Hospital Bremerton is echoing the concerns of the Kitsap Public Health District and emphasizing the importance of flu shots.

"Getting a flu vaccine is the only known method to prevent the flu," said Capt. Steven Kewish, director for medical services. "A vaccine isn't 100 percent effective, but it can decrease the chances of influenza infection, and if someone still becomes infected, they are less likely to have severe symptoms." Kewlish also strongly stressed that a person cannot get the flu from the vaccine.

According to Hospital Corpsman Kit Reed of NHB's immunization clinic, there have been approximately 2,200 vaccines provided at the clinic during the flu season, with over 1,780 in November and December and another 420 in January. NHB's annual Influenza Vaccination Shot Exercise (SHOTEX) also gave out 3,882 vaccinations for five days in November, averaging 776 people a day during that time - either by FluMist or injectable vaccine (shot).

NHB has given the flu vaccination to more than 6,000 beneficiaries. Those who have not receive their vaccination can visit NHB's immunization clinics at the main hospital and branch health clinics, for both injectable and, for healthy patients between 2 years and 49 years of age, the intranasal flu vaccine.

"We are not only giving the influenza vaccine but also childhood vaccines, supporting active duty members getting ready for deployments/going overseas who need inoculations, and other routine vaccines," said Reed. "Without the hard working staff at the Naval Hospital none of that could be done. The most gratifying part is knowing we are helping and preventing our patients from getting sick."

NHB's Immunization Clinic is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. BHC Bangor is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., BHC Everett is 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and BHC Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., all Monday through Friday.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Mark Sizemore, Family Medicine Leading Chief Petty Officer, attests that there is still a need for inoculations even after the seasonal influenza vaccine immunization program held in November specifically designed for Sailors and Marines, mission-essential healthcare personnel, and eligible beneficiaries.

"Everyone who has gotten their flu vaccination, that's good, but there are different strains of influenza out there," Sizemore said. "Plus, over the holidays people travel from state to state and even to other countries so a person can be exposed to it."

"Even if a vaccine doesn't impact the virus a person has, it can definitely lessen the effects of it," added Kewish.

For those already inoculated with the annual immunization, they do not need to receive it again - only children who have never received a flu vaccine because they require a two-shot series the first year they get vaccinated.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend everyone, even those as young as six months, should get the influenza vaccine each year. It is especially important for pregnant women and people with chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes, and those that have weakened immune systems.

Dr. Dan Frederick, NHB Population Health and Forecasting expert, points out that the value of vaccinating the pregnant population is multiplied because of the cocooning protection to the newborn when mom (and other close household contacts) are vaccinated. Just as it is important for military personnel who live and work in close quarters to receive the vaccine, it is also highly recommended for school-aged children, as they come into close contact with each other and can easily spread the influenza virus.

"Flu cases have started to pick up in the last week," Frederick said. "We have seen some who have been positive for flu in our Urgent Care Clinic. We always hope that as many people as possible take advantage of the weeklong clinic we scheduled earlier, but it's always better late than never to get their vaccination."

Immunization remains the primary method of reducing seasonal influenza illness and its complications. The seasonal influenza vaccine not only helps protect vaccinated individuals, but also helps protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of the disease.

Influenza is not the common cold. Influenza can be a severe to life-threatening disease and getting an annual influenza vaccine immunization - either the traditional shot in the arm or the newer nasal spray vaccine - protects many people from getting the disease or becoming severely ill.

There are also multiple steps that can be done daily to mitigate the potential spread of the flu. One of the most effective is hand washing.

"We strongly encourage everyone to use basic common sense when it comes to personal hand hygiene," said Cmdr. Annie Case, Quality Management department head. "We want everyone, from staff to visitors to patients to use soap and water before they enter a room, upon exiting a room, and after every encounter. Also, our alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective in eliminating the transfer of a virus. Anyone entering and leaving, or waiting by the elevators should use them."

The reason why Case and others stress continuous hand hygiene in not just a hospital setting but in the everyday routine is that influenza is thought to spread mainly from people touching something with influenza viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

One of the challenging aspects of flu is that someone who becomes infected can infect others one day before they have symptoms and up to five days after becoming sick. Influenza usually causes mild to severe illness, and in extreme, uncommon, cases can lead to death.

Symptoms of influenza include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, chills, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches. Stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea also can occur but are more common in children than adults. Traditionally, seasonal flu impacts the elderly and the young.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year in the United States, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from influenza complications and about 36,000 people die from influenza-related causes. General information of seasonal influenza can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.

The CDC considers the flu season to generally start in October and linger until May, with the peak months December to February. There were five confirmed adult deaths in Kitsap County during the 2014-15 flu season.
What can people do to protect themselves against the flu virus?

Naval Hospital Bremerton follows CDC recommendations to:
* Avoid close contact with people who are sick, when you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from also getting sick.
* If possible, stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
* Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
* Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his/her eyes, nose or mouth.

For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit www.navy.mil/.