TOPEKA -- Sure, a week off work or school may sound like a good idea. Maybe getting some things done around the house, or even better, visiting a nice, warm place. But what if you're off because you're sick with complications from the H1N1 virus? Doesn't sound much like a good idea then!

Health experts say the prime of the flu season is just beginning and everyone is still encouraged to get vaccinated.

"Getting vaccinated is one of the easiest, yet effective things people can do to help themselves stay healthy during the flu season," according to Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino, Shawnee County's top health officer. "Not only are they protecting themselves, but their family members as well as our community as a whole."

It's important for Shawnee County residents to be vaccinated to keep everyone else healthy, too. Unlike seasonal flu, people have not built up immunity to H1N1 because it's a new form of the flu. There's also a shift in the effected population. While no one's out of the woods, younger healthy people have been greatly affected by the H1N1 virus this past year. Anyone with an underlying health condition or weakened immune system can also find themselves at a higher risk for complications from H1N1. Many of the people who've died in Kansas, had problems putting them at greater risk.

About 43,000 people in and around Topeka have received their H1N1 vaccinations. (That's only about one of every four Shawnee County residents.) Silver Lake Elementary on Rice Road, and Rossville Elementary on Pottawatomie Street) are hosting the next vaccination clinics, Thursday, February 4th at 4:00, going until 7:00pm. You're asked not to come on the school grounds until classes have been dismissed. But don't miss your chance!