SYRACUSE -- Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital will provide free flu shots for children and their families at the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau. 

The registration takes place from Monday, December 10 until Friday, December 14, at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center, 800 S. State Street, Syracuse.

The effort is led by infectious disease specialists Manika Surydevara, MD, and Joseph Domachowske, MD.  It is part of a program designed to study the public's knowledge of the influenza, the influenza vaccine, as well as vaccine safety. 

The program will provide education to families that participate.  It is funded, in part, Novartis Vaccine and Diagnostics educational grant.

Central New York has seen a spike in flu cases this year. There have been 876 confirmed cases of flu in Oneida County in the past two months, according to the Oneida County Health Department and the Onondaga County Health Department reports at least 210 cases so far.

The Christmas Bureau Distribution will take place on Friday, December 21 from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Oncenter. It's the largest Christmastime giveaway in Syracuse. Each year, eligible low-income families receive a book, a toy, and a stocking stuffer for each child in their family, and a holiday food basket containing a turkey and all the fixings for a holiday dinner.

Click here for more information on how to register for the Christmas Bureau.