BRIEF: County flu clinic today at Festival Foods store

Those considered at high risk for seasonal flu can be vaccinated from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Festival Foods in La Crosse.

The vaccine is free for children ages 6 months through 18 years. The cost for adults is $25, with limited insurance billing for Medicare Part B, Medical Assistance and Gundersen Lutheran Senior Preferred.

The clinic is provided by the La Crosse County Health Department's Public Health Nursing Division.

Due to short-term shipping delays, the health department first will make the seasonal flu vaccine available to those considered at higher risk: Children ages 6 months to their 19th birthday, pregnant women, people 50 or older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu.

The vaccine is only for seasonal flu. The vaccine for H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, is not yet available to the public in La Crosse County but is expected to be offered by the end of the month or in early November, health officials said.