National Influenza Vaccination Week

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established by CDC to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond. This year NIVW will be held December 8-14, 2013. Flu vaccination coverage estimates from past years have shown that influenza vaccination activity drops quickly after the end of November. CDC and its partners, including NBCH, want to remind you that even thought the holiday season has arrived, it is not too late to get your flu vaccine. As long a flu viruses are spreading and causing illness, vaccination can provide protection against the flu and should continue. Even unvaccinated people who have already gotten the flu can still benefit from vaccination since the flu vaccine protects against three or four different flu viruses expected to circulate each season. CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. CDC has a number of activities planned during NIVW, including a live Twitter chat on December 9, 2013 from 1-2pm ET. The hashtag for the chat will be #NIVW2013 and you can follow @CDCFlu for more information. We encourage you to participate and also promote the chat with your members, colleagues, and partners. You can find more NIVW materials at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw/index.htm.