To help encourage vaccination this year, the NFID introduced a "leading by example" initiative that calls on health care professionals as well as community and business leaders to get vaccinated themselves as an example to their employees and colleagues.
Dr. Frieden set an example by getting his flu shot live during the press conference. "It didn’t hurt a bit," he said.
The press conference was sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. For the latest information on the 2011-2012 flu season, visit the CDC website.
* Correction, 9/29/2011: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that healthcare worker vaccinations increased by 63%. Instead, 63.5% of healthcare workers were vaccinated last year.