Boston Nurses Share Tips for Avoiding Flu

A guide to staying healthy this season.

The Community Health Nurses and Clinicians of the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston shared these tips for avoiding the flu this season.

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Mom Talk

Flu Emergency? It Could Be Worse

“Piggy,” my daughter’s new boar-bristle hairbrush, sends my youngest running, shrieking at the thought of its real-animal, scratchy touch. I don’t dare tell her about 2009 and the swine flu.

Mayor Thomas Menino’s declaration of a public health emergency this week reminded me of the last time we took the flu so seriously, during the 2009 pandemic. On an October Saturday that year, my family stood in line for 2 1/2 hours with one Red Sox player, his wife and kids, and dozens of others at our pediatric practice to receive the H1N1 vaccine. At the end of that line lay nasal mist, thankfully, no injections. Because a month before, our children had already received the seasonal vaccine. And they needed another dose of H1N1 spray one month after the first to provide protection. We made three doctor’s visits just for the kids' flu vaccines that year, but I was relieved to do it. The unfortunately named "swine flu," which contains …

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Mayor Urges Boston Residents To Get Flu Shots

City health officials want "thousands" to get vaccinated this weekend.

Mayor Thomas Menino and Boston health officials are asking residents of all ages to get flu vaccinations this weekend, during a series of free clinics set up to battle what Menino declared as a “public health emergency.” During a press conference held Wednesday afternoon at Parkman House on Beacon Hill, Menino urged residents to protect themselves against “an increasingly tough flu season” by getting vaccinated. “We are less than halfway through the flu season, but Boston has already seen about 700 confirmed cases of the flu since Oct. 1. That’s 10 times the amount of total cases we saw all of last year,” Menino said. “Today, we are announcing that this weekend in partnership with our community health centers, we will be offering free flu …

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