Health District Offers Tips for Fighting off Zombies and the Flu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 31, 2011

LAS VEGAS – As people celebrate Halloween and prepare for the holiday season the Southern Nevada Health District is offering tips for fending off zombies, and more importantly the flu, on the new, undead pages of its website: www.SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org.

The new section of the website provides information about preventing the flu and avoiding zombie viruses, along with a flesh-eating facts section and survival guide. Please note the health district may not be able to inoculate people from a zombie attack but it can offer a tried and true method to help fight the flu! And being fit and healthy certainly won’t hurt your chances should you find yourself in a faceoff (possibly in the literal sense) with a zombie.

Getting vaccinated is your best shot (or flu mist) at beating the flu this season. Less flu means less fatigue (more energy for fighting off the undead), less coughing and congestion (more speed and focus when running for your life), and less fever and muscle aches (making it more likely you will not suffer from the fever and muscle aches associated with a zombie attack).

“On a more serious note, even during a mild season thousands of people become seriously ill from the flu and we are urging everyone to get vaccinated this year,” said Dr. Lawrence Sands, chief health officer for the health district.

“A sense of complacency can set in when we are not faced with vaccine shortages or new strains of flu that serve to draw more attention to the issue. We are hoping we can spark a renewed interest in the flu with our ‘Undead Website’ and hopefully appeal to a younger crowd that may not be as motivated to get vaccinated,” said Sands.

More information on the flu and clinic locations, as well as the “living” version of the health district website, can still be accessed by hitting the “Escape” button located on each web page.

Methods of payment include Medicare Part B, Medicare Railroad Part B, Medicaid, Nevada Medicaid and Check-Up, Amerigroup Community Care Medicaid and Check-Up, or cash. For those not covered, who are covered by other insurance providers, or without proof of Medicare or Medicaid insurance, the cost for flu vaccination is $28 for the shot, $43 for the inhaled mist.

Updated information about the Southern Nevada Health District can be found on Facebook www.facebook.com/SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict, on YouTube www.youtube.com/SNHealthDistrict or Twitter www.twitter.com/SNHDinfo.

Visit the Media Contacts webpage for media related inquiries.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.