GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO)-- Coughing, sneezing and a sore throat. It can seem routine this time of year, but it can also lead to a trip to the hospital.

That's exactly where one local child landed because of influenza.

This is now the second hospitalized flu case in Mesa County this season, and as we enter the peak of flu season, health officials warn that these might not be the only two people that will end up in the hospital with a case of the flu.

"I think if you're going to get sick, you're going to get sick," Lynette Cordova said.

"I'm not really that scared of getting sick, it's just something that happens," Kyle Felix said.

Or is it?

Yes, there are your common colds, but when it comes to more serious illnesses, officials say avoiding them is as simple as a prick on the arm.

"There are a lot of things in life that unfortunately we cannot prevent, but vaccine preventable diseases are not one of them," Karen Martsolf with the Mesa County Health Department said.

But according to the health department, 34 people were hospitalized last year from influenza, and one person even died.

Cordova didn't have to travel far to get a flu shot this year.

"They were giving them at work and I decided it was a good idea,” she said. (reporter question) Would you get them if they weren't free? “Probably not."

It turns out, the flu shot isn't the only vaccine some adults are skipping out on.

Most kids are up to date on their shots because of state laws, but the Centers for Disease Control reports that only small percentages of adults are being immunized for some vaccine preventable diseases.

• 10.7 percent of adults ages 19-49 were vaccinated for hepatitis A.
• 42 percent were vaccinated for hepatitis B.
• 8.2 percent were vaccinated for tetanus, diphtheria and Tdap.

"Well certainly we understand that people lead busy lives and have busy schedules,” Martsolf said. “We certainly don’t want that to be a barrier."

Cordova says it's been about five years since her last immunization.

"It's not one of those things that's required, so we just kind of forget about it I think. I think it's just taking the time to go do it," she said.

Health officials say taking that extra time is a small price to pay to avoid a trip to the hospital.

"Influenza, chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, all of those things that we can prevent and protect ourselves from,” Martsolf said.

To help people get immunized, Montrose County Health and Human Services will host a community vaccination Friday February 10.
It'll be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the County Fairgrounds in Friendship Hall.

They have special rates, starting at $14.50 for one, and just $29 for two or more vaccines.
More information on the community vaccination can be found at http://www.montrosecounty.net/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=210