Flu fight declared

Understanding this could save your life: The flu is not simply a bad cold. Each year an average of 36,000 people die from it in the United States alone.

Kiwanis International is fighting back with a layered approach.

“This year, the program takes on three areas: education, community outreach, and vaccination,” says Elizabeth Warren, service program manager at Kiwanis International.

“To initiate the education, each club—during a regular meeting—should conduct a program about influenza and the importance of being vaccinated.

“The second phase—community outreach—involves clubs going to organizations in their community, such as elementary schools. A great way to do this would be to work with the K-Kids and stage a school assembly on healthful habits, such as washing hands, drinking water, and eating fruits and vegetables.

“The last part of the program is conducting a vaccination event. This year’s vaccination provider, Chiron, will—upon a club’s invitation—send a visiting nurse to the preferred location and administer the vaccine.”

Information kits will be mailed to all United States clubs.