Think a Healthy Adult Is Safe from Influenza? Think again. Eliza Anne Northrop Beale was a healthy 49-year-old Pittsburgher who passed away from influenza in 2009. She sought medical attention early in her illness, but even the best medical treatments can sometimes fail to stop the progression of flu. Read more about her story at vaccinateyourfamily.org/victims-stories. As a result, the CDC recommends that children six months through eight years old who are getting vaccinated for the first time, and those children who have only previously gotten one dose of flu vaccine, should get two doses of flu vaccine this season. The first dose should be given as soon as vaccine becomes available and the second dose should be given at least four weeks after the first dose. Continued on page 4 An earlier report published in Pediatrics revealed that children without medical conditions were more likely to die before hospital admission, with 35 percent of the deaths occurring either at home or on their way to the hospital, which illustrates how quickly a child can succumb to this dangerous illness. Most flu-associated deaths occurred among unvaccinated children. www.delcomedsoc.org DELAWARE COUNTY MEDICINE & HEALTH 3http://www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/victims-stories http://www.delcomedsoc.org