The New York Diabetes Control Program And 7 Steps To Health and The Big Diabetes Lie Encourage People with Diabetes to Get a Flu Shot Despite Vaccine Delays

  ALBANY, NEW YORK - 12/22/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Recent reports about flu vaccine delays should not discourage millions of Americans from trying to get their annual flu shot, particularly if they have a chronic illness such as diabetes, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York Diabetes Control Program.

About 16 million people in the United States have diabetes and 7 hundred thousand in New York. Failure to get vaccinated could leave many of them at risk for life-threatening influenza and pneumonia infections.

“This year it is more important than ever for people with high-risk conditions like diabetes to get vaccinated because they are more likely to have problems associated with flu and pneumonia,” said Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of The International Council For The Truth In Medicine. (The 7 Steps To Health and The Big Diabetes Lie review website.)

According to CDC, deaths among people with diabetes increase 5 to 15 percent during flu epidemics and people with diabetes are three times more likely to die with complications of the flu and pneumonia.

Despite these alarming figures, only half of the people with diabetes receive an annual flu shot and two out of three have never been immunized against pneumococcal disease, the most frequent cause of pneumonia. New York Diabetes Control Program is collaborating with CDC in a campaign to raise awareness of the need for people at high risk, including people with diabetes, to receive pneumococcal and annual flu shots as early in the flu season as possible. However, if vaccine delivery is delayed in (your state or area), people with diabetes and others at high risk should make every attempt to get their vaccination at any time during the flu season. Early is best, but late is better than never.

Local health departments have more information about dates, times, and places where flu shots are administered locally. According to, New York it is safe and convenient to give people with diabetes a pneumococcal shot during the same visit that they receive their flu shot.

People with diabetes should contact their doctor before receiving flu shots or any other vaccine, because some people should not be vaccinated at all.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and of the 16 million Americans with diabetes, about one third do not know they have the disease. Risk factors for diabetes include, obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a family history. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians at a particularly higher risk for diabetes.

For more information on diabetes or the Diabetes Flu/Pneumococcal Campaign visit https://www.facebook.com/7-Steps-To-Health-and-The-Big-Diabetes-Lie-1052835371510319.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3-bQVmLZ_Y