On Saturday, October 19th, staff from the Atlantic Medical Center along with the McCarthy family will host “Ayzlee’s Family Flu Clinic” from 8 to 11 am. Families and individuals are encouraged to come in to get their annual flu shot during this time. Members of the McCarthy family will be on hand with additional information about the flu, and a few children’s activities will be available.
This special flu vaccine clinic is held in memory of Ayzlee McCarthy. After Christmas in 2014, Ayzlee was diagnosed with Influenza A & B. A day later, her mother knew something wasn’t right and brought her to the CCHS Emergency Department. Ayzlee was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Blank Children’s Hospital, where she died on December 29, 2014.
Her mother, Amber McCarthy says “We are honoring Ayzlee with family flu clinics in our area and encourage all ages to come in and get their annual flu shot. The flu can strike healthy children and we hope to not have more families go through the heartache of losing a child to the flu.” In addition to this special clinic, a full list of all CCHS walk-in clinics can be found at casshealth.org.
Health officials say the two best ways to protect yourself, and those around you, from influenza are to get vaccinated and to practice good hand washing. Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but also those around you who may be too young (under 6 months) or have a medical condition that prevents them from being vaccinated. The seasonal flu (influenza) is a serious disease caused by the influenza virus.
Some common symptoms of the flu are fever, cough, chills, body aches, and extreme weakness. For more information, please contact the Immunization Room at 712-250-8122.