By NORWOOD NEWS

With sub-zero temps blanketing the Bronx in recent days, Montefiore Medical Center wants you to heed this warning:  get your flu shot! The state Department of Health confirms that flu season has now settled in, with this year’s bug scuttling all corners of the Bronx. Infectious disease specialists have identified the most dangerous flu viruses for this year with about 90 percent of these strains believed to be well-matched to the current vaccines. However, there are several important factors Bronxites should know about the 2013-2014 vaccine:

• The standard “three-strain” vaccine is offered to healthy children and adults. This widely available dose includes two strains of the more common A virus and one of the B virus.

• The new “four-strain” or quadrivalent vaccine was designed this year to include two strains of the A and B virus in response to two predominant B virus strains circulating the past two years rather than the usual single strain. The vaccine is intended for people with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma or heart disease and those with compromised immune systems.

Montefiore Medical Center has led by example when it comes to getting the shot. The hospital recently activated its influenza vaccine and mask policy across its network of six hospitals, ordering staffers to wear a surgical mask if they haven’t been vaccinated. Signs can be spotted all over the campus on East 210th Street, urging employees to get their shot if they’ve avoided it.

The policy comes after four months of preparation through an internal and external campaign, compelling employees and members of the community to get the shot as a way to keep the flu bug at bay. Montefiore is still offering workers to get their flu shots. Its effect usually kicks in two weeks after receiving it, protecting folks from the four-month-long flu season.

The 2012-13 flu season was deemed more intense than expected and resulted in the deaths of more than 110 children across the United States. Experts recommend the flu vaccine as the best option to reduce a person’s risk of contracting the virus.

–Data provided by Montefiore Medical Center