Ellington

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi doctors still say a flu shot is best medicine to avoid the bug.

"The smartest course is to get the vaccination before it shows up. It takes about two weeks to get maximum immunity," Saltillo family physician Dr. Marcus Ueltschey tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/YeLfIR).

The Mississippi State Department of Health has already confirmed cases of influenza. The Centers for Disease Control currently rates flu activity in Mississippi as sporadic.

Historically, flu season peaks in Mississippi between late December and February, but the flu can strike almost anytime. The severity of the flu varies widely from year to year, but thousands of people die from complications of the disease every year in the United States.

"The unpredictability of it makes it that much more urgent for people to get the flu shot early," said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi state epidemiologist. "Just because last year was light, doesn't mean this year will be light. People don't need to be complacent.

"The shot uses proteins from the flu virus to generate immunity to the different strains," Dobbs said. "It can't give you the flu."

There's a variety of places to get the flu vaccine, including county health departments, clinics and pharmacies

"The venues for getting flu shots have exploded," Ueltschey said. "That has really helped. It's just more convenient."

North Mississippi Medical Center will host its annual Live Well Health Fair in Tupelo on Nov. 13. Each year, NMMC gives out thousands of flu shots for free.

"We've got a good supply," said Liz Dawson, director of the North Mississippi Medical Center community health department, which organizes the event.

Every year, between 6,000 and 7,000 people come out to take advantage of the resources the Live Well Health Fair pulls together.

"It's like a community festival," Dawson said.

There will also be free and low-cost health screenings including PSA blood tests, lipid panel and blood sugar tests. Bone density tests will be available for those who have not previously been diagnosed with osteoporosis.