NY's Flu Epidemic Declared a Public Health Emergency

Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a public health emergency in New York due to the increasingly severe flu season, which has reached epidemic levels in the United States this year.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine of the ten regions of the United States have “elevated” flu activity. New York State falls into one of them.

The declaration now allows pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to patients between six months and 18 years of age and suspends for the next 30 days the state’s law that limits the authority of pharmacists to administer vaccinations only to people 18 and older.

"We are experiencing the worst flu season since at least 2009, and influenza activity in New York state is widespread, with cases reported in all 57 counties and all five boroughs of New York City," said Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to Reuters.

In New York, the governor's office said 19,128 cases of influenza have been reported this season, compared with 4,404 positive laboratory tests reported for the entire 2011-2012 season.

Cuomo urged residents who had not gotten a flu shot to do so, noting that influenza cases continued to rise in New York.

Plus, anecdotal reports indicate that this year's flu strains are particularly miserable. If you've had experience with this year's strain, tell us your story in the comments.

Most pharmacies offer the shot on a walk-in basis.

Three places in Park Slope are Rite Aid, 249 7th Ave; Rite Aid, 462 5th Ave; and Duane Reade, 296 Flatbush Ave (Be sure to call first, as some pharmacies reportedly have run out of the vaccine).