By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Fayette County Health Commmissioner Dr. Melinda Rowe says the state lab has confirmed a second case of flu in Kentucky, both in the Lexington area.
"We know that the flu is out there and the two that we have that the state health department confirmed; the first was in an adult lady, and one was in a two week old infant and both of them were the H1N1, which is what we were fighting last year. This year's flu shot has three components; H1N1 is one of those. So the type of flu that those first two folks have had is covered in the seasonal flu shot."
Dr. Rowe says the other suspected cases, though not yet confirmed, involve two sets of siblings, in two different families. All of the children are between the ages of 4 and 9. Dr. Rowe says she can't stress enough how important it is that every family member get a flu shot.
"Babies under six months can't get the flu shot so that's why we want everybody that lives in the household: Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Grandparents, to get the shot so they can protect the babies that are six months and under. If a woman is pregnant, whether it's the first, second, or third trimester, she can the flu shot at any of those times. If Mama gets the shot while she's pregnant, she can pass those antibodies over to the baby. So when the baby is born he or she will have some immunity to the flu for the first six months."
The Fayette County Health Department is holding a special mobile flu shot clinic a week from today from 10 am to 6pm at Applebee's Park.