917th Wing gets jump on flu

Technical Sgt. Kiwinana A. Crow, a war readiness management technician with the 917th Logistics Readiness Squadron, receives the mist injection of the flu vaccine from Senior Airman Catarina Rose, a medical technician with the 917th Medical Squadron, at the medical squadron building on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Nov. 4, 2010. Sergeant Crow is also an Air Reserve Technician (ART) for the 917th Wing. Unlike the “flu shot,” which is an inactivated (killed) vaccine injected into the muscle, the flu mist, is a live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine sprayed into the nostrils. Influenza viruses are always changing. Because of this, influenza vaccines are updated every year, and an annual vaccination is recommended, but is mandatory for the military. It takes up to two weeks for protection to develop after the shot, and protection lasts up to a year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jeff Walston)