With the peak season for influenza right around the corner, area establishments are offering free flu shots to anyone who has not been vaccinated this year.

Jim Lehan, business director at Lehan Drugs, 1407 S. Fourth St., said they began offering flu shots for free on Jan. 10. While they had always talked about offering free flu shots in the past, there just wasn’t enough of a supply.

“We wanted to make sure the supply we had [was] enough for at risk patients, elderly people with compromised immune systems, etc…so we weren’t able to offer this before,” Lehan said. “This year there was enough to go around for anyone who wanted a shot and we wanted to make sure anyone who had put off getting one, due to cost concerns, could still protect themselves.”

The DeKalb County Health Department, 2550 N. Annie Glidden Road, has also been offering free flu shots since the beginning of the month.

Bette Chilton, director of health services at the Health Department, said they began offering flu shots for $35 in September when they received the vaccine.

“We’ve had a good response but come January we still had about 200 doses left and we don’t want to waste them so we decided to offer them for free Monday through Friday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.,” Chilton said.

Lehan said it takes about a week for the shot to become effective. Protection against the swine flu is also included in the shot.

“The real brunt of flu season typically hits at the end of January and into February,” Lehan said. “The shot is effective for about six to seven months so getting it now is still beneficial.”

Chilton said they will be offering the shots for free until their supply has been exhausted.

“We have 200 doses so right now they’ll be okay but in a few weeks I would call first to make sure we still have it,” Chilton said. “It’s also a way to boost awareness about flu season to those who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet. Through February or March you can still get the flu. February is peak season for influenza in DeKalb County so if you haven’t been vaccinated, now is a great time to come in and get the vaccine because you’ll be protected during the peak season.”

According to the NIU Health Services’ website, flu vaccines are no longer available through the university. Attempts to contact officials at Health Services were unsuccessful.