Flu Fighters, a coalition of Mississippi associations and agencies, has united to encourage all Mississippians to get their flu shot this year. The Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians, the Mississippi Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics, the Mississippi Hospital Association, the Mississippi Nurses Association, the Mississippi State Department of Health, and the Mississippi State Medical Association invite you to join us in the effort and Fight Flu, Mississippi!
 
Last flu season, only 42% of Mississippians received a flu vaccine. Nationally, during the 2019-2020 flu season, there were an estimated 39 million to 56 million influenza illnesses and between 24,000 and 62,000 influenza deaths. It was also estimated that the influenza virus led to 18 million to 26 million influenza-related medical visits and 410,000 to 740,000 influenza hospitalizations. These numbers show that, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, we must work to vaccinate as many Mississippians as possible during the upcoming flu season.  
 
“Because the viruses that cause flu and COVID-19 might spread at the same time this fall and winter, getting a flu vaccine is particularly important as a way to reduce the amount of flu disease and symptoms that may be confused with COVID-19, and to reduce stress on the U.S. healthcare system,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in their recent flu vaccination recommendations. According to the CDC, getting a flu shot reduces the risk of being admitted to the ICU with flu by 82%.
 
Coalition partners have created a toolkit for our Fight Flu campaign. The graphics created can be personalized with your logo. We have even included some sample social media messages to get you started. Please use the #FightFluMS hashtag in all of your messages! We encourage all to join with us and #FightFluMS!