BRIEF

FREE FLU SHOTS

WALLA WALLA -- A free drive through adult flu immunization clinic will be Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Providence St. Mary Med­ical Center. Free Tdap (diph­theria, tetanus and whooping cough) vaccinations also will be available.

People can be vaccinated without leaving their cars, and no appointments are necessary.

The clinic is sponsored by Providence St. Mary, the Providence Medical Group and the Walla Walla County Health Department.

The free immunizations are available to adults age 19 and over. No vaccine for chil­dren will be available at this clinic. To get immunizations for your children, please call your primary care physician or the Health Department.

The clinic will be held in the drive-through area beneath the Outpatient Pro­cedure Center at Providence St. Mary on Seventh Avenue. To reach the clinic, take Fifth Avenue to Willow Street and circle around the back side of the hospital to Seventh so you can enter the south end of the drive through.

Flu season usually be­gins in October and can last through May. In recent sea­sons, most infections have occurred in January and Feb­ruary, according to the Cen­ters for Disease Control. The CDC recommends annual immunizations for adults to protect them from the flu.

In addition to the flu, adults should consider re­ceiving the Tdap immuniza­tion if they have not already received one. Washington State current is in the middle of a whooping cough (per­tussis) epidemic. While the disease is an unpleasant in­convenience for most adults, it can very serious, even fatal, for babies and children. It also is dangerous for preg­nant women. It is important for adults to be vaccinated to prevent spreading the disease. Whooping cough spreads easily by coughing and sneezing. Vaccination is the best protection.