Bradenton doctor is strong advocate for flu shot

BRADENTON -- Ever since she was a little girl, Dr. Katie Drake of JSA Medical Group, 2424 Manatee Ave. W., Suite 100, Bradenton, has wanted to be a doctor and give influenza shots.

In fact, when she was about 4 years old, she went around her Port Huron, Mich., neighborhood with a Fisher-Price toy doctor set, giving fake flu shots, taking blood pressures and listening to hearts, her mother, Mary Jane Drake, confirmed by phone Friday.

"She was diagnosed as a diabetic at age 2 so she saw a lot of doctors and I think the kind and proficient people who took care of her motivated her to be a doctor," Mary Jane Drake said.

Drake even had her daughter's Fisher-Price toy set refurbished and presented it to her when she graduated medical school.

After becoming a doctor, Katie Drake didn't stop her love of annual flu shots.

She began a one-woman campaign to get people to take their flu shots, starting with her parents, her mother said.

"She was always edging us on to take better care of ourselves," Mary Jane Drake said. "She says, 'Mom, take advantage of this stuff. They didn't invent it to have it sit on the shelves.' "

After 10 years practicing in Florida, Drake is still doing that, asking everyone in the waiting room of her practice if they have had their annual flu shot to protect them against the main flu viruses that will be most common during the upcoming season.

"The flu shot covers against most common viral strains," Drake said. "It helps to create antibodies in the immune system."

It won't make you sick

Drake dispelled the notion that the flu shot will make a person ill.

"The flu shot may give you some symptoms, similar to having a virus but it doesn't give you the flu," Drake said. "What you are feeling is just your bodies' immune system responding to the antibodies. Some patients will have no side effects and some might have mild muscle pain, which can be prevented by taking Tylenol."

This past Friday, with the start of flu season upon her, Drake got her own flu shot from JSA medical assistant Demetria "Sweet Dee" Warren. Warren got the nickname "Sweet Dee" because she can give a shot so soft and sweet that people don't feel any pain, Drake said.

"All of our medical assistants are phenomenal," Drake said.

As Drake points out, three kinds of flu viruses will circulate among Americans this flu season, including influenza A H1N1 viruses, influenza A H3N2 viruses and influenza B viruses.

"It's most likely to be the same strain of HIN1 this year," Drake said when asked what Manatee County is likely to see.

In Florida, the flu season typically starts in October and runs to about May.

"The most common time to contract the flu is December or January," Drake said.

Drake said everyone age six months and older should get a flu shot annually.

"Certainly all people who are in a high risk group, either those who are elderly or have a chronic illness, but, really, everyone should get the flu shot to protect against infection," Drake said.

"People should get revaccinated every year because strains of flu viruses change each year," added Drake, who predicts a pretty active flu season in Manatee County.

If people have insurance, the flu shot is a free covered service at JSA Medical, Drake said.

Vaccines that give protection against three viruses are called trivalent vaccines. Vaccines that give protection against four viruses are called quadrivalent vaccines.

If a patient doesn't have

insurance, the shot costs $25 for the lower virus dose and $35 for the higher virus dose, Drake added.

"If people want a shot from Dee they should schedule an appointment by calling us at 941-847-7920," Drake said.

JSA Medical Group, which has 16 clinics in the Tampa Bay area, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Get a shot before Halloween

The Florida Department of Health is recommending Manatee County residents and tourists get vaccinated before Halloween to reduce the risk of illness this flu season.

"The flu shot is the best way to protect our families and communities against the spread of influenza," State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong said in a Department of Health news release. "All residents should take precautions against the flu by getting vaccinated, regularly washing your hands and staying home when you are sick."

The flu vaccine is available by shot or nasal spray in a variety of locations including county health departments, family physicians, pharmacies and many work sites, the release states.

There are vaccines approved for people of different ages as well as for use in pregnant women and those with health conditions.

Steps to avoid the flu

The Florida Department of Health offers the following tips for avoiding or spreading the flu:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you do not have a tissue, cough and sneeze into your elbow to reduce spreading of germs.

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Try to avoid close contact with people who are showing symptoms of illness.

If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 to 48 hours after your fever is gone, without the use of fever-reducing medicine, except to get medical care or for other necessities.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton doctor is strong advocate for flu shot ."