Rhode Islanders urged to get flu shots

PROVIDENCE — With flu activity increasing across the country and considered widespread in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, Rhode Island health officials are urging Rhode Islanders to get flu shots, if they haven't already.

Flu in Rhode Island is currently considered regional, which is one tier short of widespread, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. Widespread is the highest tier in the five-tier system used to measure flu activity, according to the Health Department.

So far this flu season, there has been one flu-related death and 24 flu-related hospitalizations in Rhode Island, the Health Department said. During last year's flu season, there were 39 deaths and 1,032 hospitalizations associated with the flu, the Health Department said.

 The Health Department says a flu shot is a person's best protection against the flu.

“After getting a flu shot, it usually takes someone roughly two weeks to start developing the antibodies that provide protection against the flu. For people who have not been vaccinated and who plan to get together with family and friends for the holidays, now is the perfect time to get vaccinated,” said Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. “A flu shot can help you avoid serious illness, doctor visits, missed work, or missed school, and it can also help you keep the people you love healthy and safe by reducing the spread of the flu.”

Everyone older than six months should get vaccinated every year, the Health Department said. Vaccination is especially important for the elderly, young children, pregnant women, health-care workers, and people with chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes, the Health Department said.

In addition to Massachusetts and Connecticut, more than a dozen other states are reporting widespread flu, the Health Department said.