Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. 5-20%  of  Americans  will  fall  ill  this  year  from  seasonal. Influenza  symptoms  include  fever, headache,  sore  throat,  stuffy  nose, muscle  aches,  and  nausea. Your  best  defense  against  the  flu  is  to have  a  flu  vaccination  each  year. That's  according  to  Gil  De  Boer, associate  Director  of  the  University  of  Minnesota's Center  for  Infectious  Disease  Research  and  Policy. In  general,  anyone  who  wants  to  reduce their  chances  of  getting  the  flu  can  get  vaccinated. It  is  recommended  though  that certain  people  do  get  vaccinated  each  year. These  include  people  at high  risk  for  complications  from  the  flu. Children  age  six  months  to  five  years,  pregnant  women, people  50  years  of  age  and  older  people  of  any  age with  certain  chronic  medical  conditions such  as  asthma  and  diabetes, people  who  live  in  nursing  homes and  other  long  term  care  facilities. Deboer  says  that  on  average  more  than  200,000  people  are hospitalized  each  year  from flu  complications  and  36,000  die. Complications  of  seasonal  flu  can include  bacterial  pneumonia, ear  infection,  sinus  infections, dehydration,  and  most  importantly, people  with  chronic  medical  conditions can  have  those  worsen. For  more  information,  go  to Wrap  for  John  Finnegan and  Public  Health  Moment  Prime.  Kristen  Staffer