It's that time once again to start thinking about getting a flu vaccine, and health experts say they hope to avoid a repeat of the misery many felt last year.
At the Morton Comprehensive Health Center, staff members said flu season kept them busy last year when patients kept coming into the exam rooms suffering from the flu.
"Tons of people came in," said Anita Williams, a certified nurse practitioner. "A lot of people didn't get the flu vaccine like we had advised and that really, I feel, contributed to the large numbers that we saw last year."
She said a few people came in already to get their flu vaccine, which now comes in more than just the shot form. Tiffany Townsend of Tulsa plans to get hers this week for one simple reason.
"Because I don't like being sick," Townsend said. "I've had the flu before, and it's not a good feeling."
Last year's flu season hit hard across the country. The vaccine proved less effective because a newer, harsher strain of the flu emerged after doses were released.
Townsend, though, says her flu shot kept her protected last year.
"I didn't have a problem," she said. "I didn't have a problem at all."
Experts say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added protections against that bug and other possibly contagious strains this year.
Williams said even though the flu is unpredictable, the vaccine is still the best way to keep from getting sick.
"It's always better to get it than not get it," she said.
