ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel will be getting her flu shot as the state kicks off its campaign to get more people vaccinated this season.
Kunkel and Deputy Secretary Abinash Achrekar will be visiting a public health office in Albuquerque on Tuesday. They'll be talking about the importance of annual vaccinations.
Kunkel says flu can be fatal if left untreated.
More than 200 New Mexicans died of flu and flu-related pneumonia during the 2018-2019 flu season.
Earlier this month, the Health Department confirmed the state's first cases of the season. Those included one in Bernalillo County in which a 90-year-old patient died.
Officials say young children and older adults are the most vulnerable.
The flu season typically runs through the end of April.