Fresenius Medical Care Urges At-Risk Populations to Get Annual Flu Shots, And Shares Four Simple Truths About the Vaccine
November 03 2014 - 12:03PM
Business Wire
Company Warns Kidney Disease Patients of Health
Risks from the Seasonal Flu, and Offers 230,000 No-Cost
Vaccinations to its Patients and Staff
Worldwide news broadcasts and headlines are filled these days
with reports of the deadly Ebola virus. Yet most Americans are far
more likely to be affected by the common seasonal flu, a contagious
respiratory illness carried by airborne viruses and spread by
sneezing and coughing, which each year infects millions of people
in this country and causes more than 200,000 to be
hospitalized.
For most people, the flu’s symptoms of fatigue, fever, chills,
aches, congestion and coughing go away within one to two weeks. But
for vulnerable segments of the population such as people with
chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure, their condition,
and the demands of their life-sustaining treatment, leave them at
greater risk for influenza and a variety of flu-related
complications.
That’s why Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the
nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, is strongly urging
anyone with CKD, kidney failure or other chronic health issues to
protect themselves by getting a flu vaccination every year.
“Complications from the flu pose a health risk to people who
have chronic illnesses such as CKD and kidney failure,” says Dugan
W. Maddux, M.D., vice president of chronic kidney disease
initiatives at FMCNA. “The best way to reduce that risk is for
everyone – especially kidney patients and their caregivers – to get
vaccinated against the flu.”
FMCNA’s 4 Simple Truths about the Flu Vaccine
1. The flu shot CANNOT give you the flu. Some people may
experience mild flu-like symptoms after getting a flu shot. The
vaccine, however, cannot give you the flu.
2. A flu shot is needed every year for protection against the
flu. Flu viruses do not stay the same. Each year the vaccine is
updated to protect against the most common viruses around. This is
why you need a flu vaccination each year.
3. The flu shot is safe. Over the past 50 years hundreds
of millions of people have safely received the vaccine. If you’re
concerned, check with your doctor before getting the flu shot.
4. The flu is highly contagious and can lead to
hospitalization. It is spread through coughing, sneezing and
close contact.
To help “Slug the Bug,” FMCNA has launched a company-wide
program to offer flu shots to all 180,000 patients who receive care
at FMCNA dialysis facilities, and to the company’s more than 50,000
employees across the country, at no cost to the recipients. In
addition, FMCNA will donate $1 for every patient and employee
vaccinated through this program, to be allocated among charities
supporting renal patients, and to the FMCNA CARES employee
emergency relief fund.
To call attention to the importance of flu vaccinations, FMCNA
also is reaching out to kidney disease organizations and other
groups representing vulnerable populations across the country with
its flu-shot awareness campaign to encourage all at-risk
individuals to be vaccinated annually.
FMCNA is committed to ensuring the health of its staff and
patients during flu season by offering vaccinations at no cost and
practicing effective infection control. Patients should inquire at
their local dialysis clinics for locations and times of specific
vaccination opportunities. For more information on flu prevention,
visit www.slugthebug.com.
About Fresenius Medical Care North AmericaThrough its
leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North
America and vascular access centers, laboratory, pharmacy and
affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical
Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people
throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. It is also the
continent’s top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and
related disposable products and a major supplier of renal
pharmaceuticals.
For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for
information about patient services, visit
www.ultracare-dialysis.com.
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Media Contact:Fresenius Medical Care North AmericaUpward
AgencyHeather Smith, 1-857-453-6701 /
voiceheather.smith@upwardagency.com
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