The American Lung Association supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), January 10-16, 2010, which highlights the importance of annual influenza vaccination after the holiday season into January and beyond.
Each year approximately 226,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 die due to seasonal influenza and its related complications. Despite recommendations by national health experts that more than four out of five Americans should be vaccinated against influenza annually, fewer than half actually are.
"The recent influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak is a strong reminder that influenza is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease," said Norman Edelman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association. "The Lung Association applauds the CDC's efforts for creating a greater awareness about this dangerous public health threat with a national week of observance."
Also raising awareness about the seriousness of influenza is the American Lung Association's Faces of Influenza campaign. This national educational campaign is designed to help Americans see themselves among the many "faces" of influenza -- people who fall into one or more target groups recommended for annual vaccination by the CDC -- and recognize immunization as a safe and effective way to protect themselves and their families against influenza.