HHS HealthBeat (January 26, 2010)

Listen to Wes

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

This is a challenging flu season for people in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. They’ve been hit especially hard by H1N1 flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says American Indians and Alaska Natives are four times more likely than other Americans to die from H1N1 flu.

So American Indian actor Wes Studi, whose credits include ``Dances with Wolves,’’ ``The Last of the Mohicans,’’ and ``Geronimo: An American Legend,’’ is helping to get the word out.

Studi, who’s Cherokee, voiced public service announcements for HHS:

[Wes Studi speaks] ``The best way to protect yourself, your family and your community is to get vaccinated against seasonal and H1N1 flu.’’

Flu season lasts until May, so getting vaccinated now can protect for months to come.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011