Days are growing shorter, temperatures are falling, and you know what that means.

That’s right… cold and flu season is just around the corner.

With prevention of the flu in mind, Inter Island Medical Center will host a pair of Saturday walk-in vaccination clinics, Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The medical center is located at 550 Spring St., in Friday Harbor.

Vaccinations for the 2010-2011 flu season include protection against the 2009 H1N1 virus and two other flu viruses.

According to medical center staff, vaccination is the best protection against the flu largely because the virus spreads easily from person to person, mostly through coughing and sneezing. When someone with the flu coughs or sneezes near you, you can breathe in droplets that have the virus. Those droplets may also land on surfaces that you might touch with your hands.

Those at high risk of serious flu complication include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes  or heart and lung disease, and people 65 and older.

Anyone six months of age and older can receive a flu vaccination; high-dose flu shots will also be available for those 65 years of age and older during the walk-in vaccination clinics.

For more info, contact Inter Island Medical Center at 378-2141