CLAYTON (KMOX) - There’s no headline-grabbing epidemic, but officials warn that’s no reason to skip your flu shot this fall.

To illustrate the point, County Executive Charlie Dooley rolled up his sleeve and got a shot, along with health department director Dr. Delores Gunn and other county officials.

Gunn said that a record-number of people lined up to get their shots when H1N1 was a big deal but that in the years before and after, it was a little tougher to turn people out.

“If they think it’s going to be a threat to them, they get vaccinated,” she said. “Let’s not do things in a reactionary way. Let’s be a little more forward thinking and preventive. Get vaccinated now.”

While the peak of the flu season is typically about January, if the weather stays warm Gunn said it could mean more people getting sick, although, she added, “there are other factors that also play into that, how many people are vaccinated, how its spread and if people who are sick stay home or are very active.”

To get as many people protected as possible, the county will hold free flu shot clinic at the following locations and dates:

South County Health Center; 4580 South Lindbergh Boulevard in Sunset Hills (63127)
• Monday, October 15th, 2012; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 16th, 2012; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

John C. Murphy Health Center; 6121 North Hanley Road in Berkeley (63134)
• Thursday, October 18th, 2012; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Friday, October 19th, 2012; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.