Yakima Public Health

Many people confuse Influenza with a 24-hour stomach virus. In fact, influenza is a disease of the respiratory tract causing congestion, cough, fever, body aches, headache, etc

It can often put a healthy person in bed for more than a week and can be very dangerous for the very young, very old, or those with respiratory diseases such as asthma.

It is recommended that you protect yourself with a vaccine for the flu. One alternative is to use the FluMist nasal vaccine.Many insurance companies have recently announced that they will cover the cost of the FluMist nasal vaccine. Please check with your insurance company to see if they will cover the cost.

For additional questions about the flu vaccine, please check our Flu Shots Page or contact our Communicable Disease Nurse Line at (509) 249-6541.

For data on Influenza and RSV screening tests in Yakima County, please click here.