Help control the spread of flu in your community: get vaccinated!

Flu season is in full swing across the country, including the Pacific Northwest. In our state, influenza activity remains moderate — thus far, Oregon hasn’t been severely affected. There have already been 29 pediatric flu-related deaths in the United States this season alone, but none in Oregon.

You can help control influenza activity in our community by getting vaccinated. It’s not too late to protect yourself and your loved ones! 

This season, OHSU Doernbecher has given free flu vaccines to more than 1,000 of our patients’ parents and other adult close contacts. This “Free Vaccine for Parents Cocooning Project“ is intended to protect OHSU Doernbecher’s youngest and most vulnerable patients by “cocooning” infants and other high-risk children, insulating them from infection by ensuring everyone they come into contact with has been immunized.

Vaccinations are still being offered to our established patient family members Monday through Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the OHSU Doernbecher lobby, while supplies last.

For tips on how to avoid the flu, check out the Oregon Health Authority website: “What to do to Avoid the Flu.”

Judith Guzman-Cottrill, D.O.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases
OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital