Influenza (flu), unlike a common cold, is a highly contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs that occurs most often in late fall, winter, and early spring in the US. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) urges everyone age 6 months and older to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation to get an annual flu vaccine to #FightFlu and avoid spreading flu to friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues.
As part of an annual campaign to increase awareness about the importance of flu prevention, NFID kicked off its 2019-2020 flu season awareness activities on September 13, 2019 at the 8th Annual Flu Awareness Night at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Although the Washington Nationals lost to the Atlanta Braves, the NFID Flu Bugs had a great time greeting fans and helping to spread important flu prevention messages!
Flu affects millions of people in the US each year. Of those, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and thousands to tens of thousands die of flu and flu-related complications. NFID is committed to increasing public awareness of the importance of annual influenza vaccination.
Thank you to the Washington Nationals for hosting another successful Flu Awareness Night—and special thanks to the more than 35,000 fans who came out to show their support and help #FightFlu.
When you #GetVaccinated against flu this season, take a selfie with the Traveling Flu Bug and post it online with the hashtags #TravelingFluBug and #FightFlu to help spread awareness, not disease!
To learn more about combatting myths about flu and flu vaccines along with effective communication strategies, view the archived free NFID webinar: Flu Myths & Communication Tips.
To join the conversation, follow NFID (@nfidvaccines) on Twitter using the hashtag #FightFlu, like NFID on Facebook, follow NFID on Instagram, join the NFID LinkedIn Group, and subscribe to NFID Updates.
