After the pandemic
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic is gone but far from forgotten. Researchers say close to 60 percent of Americans are likely immune because they were exposed to the virus or vaccines against it.
But experts recommend the seasonal flu vaccine for everyone older than six months. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says 2009 H1N1 protection is built into this year's seasonal flu vaccine:
``Vaccinations are available right now, so we encourage people even now to go and get vaccinated when it becomes available in your community.'' (7 seconds)
Dr. Fauci doubts the 2009 H1N1 strain would change enough to re-emerge as a pandemic virus.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.