Flu Patients Continue to Fill Doctors' Offices

An Alpharetta physician said 15 to 20 percent of his day is spent with flu patients.

This flu season is different than previous years because of the sheer volume of people who are getting sick, according to an Alpharetta ambulatory medicine physician. Dr. Richard Ellin, who works at Kaiser Permanente Alpharetta Medical Offices, said in the past two or three years, he'd see the occasional flu patient, maybe one or two a week. "This year, we are seeing anywhere from three to six a day and that's just me," Dr. Ellin said. "Fifteen to twenty percent of my day is the flu or complications from the flu. "Another thing is, we are seeing many more people who have got the flu shot who have gotten the flu," he said. "It's prevalent throughout metro Atlanta, and really throughout Georgia, and really pretty much throughout the whole …

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CDC Says the Flu Season Is Still Here

Here's where to get an influenza vaccine, how to recognize symptoms and what to know about treatment if you get sick.

CDC: Get Your Flu Shot

It's National Influenza Vaccination Week. Did you get your flu shot yet?

EDITOR'S NOTE: This week a doctor asked me if I'd offer a testimonial for the flu shot. Well, Dr. Stu, consider this my testimonial. Now that I annually get a flut shot, no longer do I seem to get a horrible flu that morphs into bronchitis every year, prolonging my agony. More than one-third of United States residents have already been vaccinated against the influenza virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday. With National Influenza Vaccination Week, which started last Sunday and ends Saturday, health officials aim to increase that percentage, especially since this year's season may be a bad one. Influenza—more commonly known as simply "the flu"—is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses infecting …

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Bob Pepalis

4:58 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thanks for adding your advice!   more ›

Cast Your Ballot, Get a Flu Shot

Fulton voters can 'Vote and Vax' in North Fulton on Nov. 1.

Fulton County Voters can “Vote and Vax” beginning Saturday, Oct. 27. Voters can cast their ballots and obtain their annual flu slots as a part of an effort to reduce the risk of flu among citizens. Vote and Vax primarily targets adults aged 50 or older.  In North Fulton, voters can go to the North Service Center in Sandy Springs, 7741 Roswell Road, on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to cast their ballots and get their shots. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the United States on average 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications. The CDC also reports that the expected severity of a flu season cannot be accurately predicted.     …

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