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October 6, 2008
Little Rock--Flu season is almost here in Arkansas. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) reminds you that the best way to protect yourself and your family against the flu is to get vaccinated. Vaccine will be available the second week in November at local health units across the state. A complete list of locations and times will be announced in a few weeks. Vaccine is already available in some doctors’ offices and many other locations.
The flu is a sickness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is caused by the influenza virus. Each year in the United States, on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and 36,000 people die from flu. Shots are effective protection, and you can’t get the flu from the vaccine. “If you’re young and healthy, the flu vaccine may be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing illness,” said James Phillips, M.D., Director of the Infectious Disease Branch at ADH. For older adults who are at high risk, a flu shot can reduce hospitalizations by as much as 70 percent and deaths by 85 percent.
The best time to be immunized is between mid-October and mid-November. This allows your immunity to peak during the height of the influenza season, which is generally December through March. Adults receive the vaccine in one dose, and children less than nine years old may need a second dose. It takes one to two weeks after you’ve been vaccinated for the shot to take effect.
Though all persons older than six months of age should get a flu shot each year, those most at risk for influenza disease complications are:
- people 50 years of age and older
- children ages six months through four years
- adults and children with chronic lung or heart disorders including heart disease and asthma
- pregnant women
- adults and children with chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes), kidney diseases, blood disorders (such as sickle cell anemia), or weakened immune systems, including persons with HIV/AIDS
- residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- children and teenagers, six months to 18 years of age who take aspirin daily
- Adults and children who have any condition such as spinal cord injuries and other neuromuscular problems that could result in a reduced ability to cough
To prevent the spread of flu to persons who are at high risk for complications, flu vaccination is also recommended for the following persons:
- Health care providers
- Healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of children less than five years old
- Caregivers of adults 50 years of age and older
- Caregivers of persons with high-risk medical conditions
There are two types of flu vaccines that are available and effective at preventing the flu. One is the familiar flu shot with a needle and the other is the intranasal spray flu vaccine which is needle-free. The intranasal spray flu vaccine is approved for use in healthy people two to 49 years of age who are not pregnant. The nasal spray vaccine will not be available at ADH clinics.
The Arkansas Department of Health reports there is an ample supply of flu vaccine this year. Arkansas is initially receiving 263,000 doses of the vaccine for use in local public health clinics, Vaccines for Children (VFC) provider offices and nursing homes.
“For many years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and physicians have recommended that all pregnant women get the flu shot since they are at high risk for complications. It is especially effective when received at the proper time of year—just before flu season,” said Dr. Richard Nugent, Branch Chief for Family Health in the Center for Health Advancement at ADH. “We have known that the shot protects pregnant women. Now we know that the protection for the mother also extends to the baby, even for a short time after the baby is born.”
Persons who should not receive influenza vaccine for health reasons are: persons with a severe allergy (i.e. anaphylactic allergic reaction) to eggs, and persons who previously had a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome during the six weeks after receiving influenza vaccine.
Influenza symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
The influenza virus is spread through coughing or sneezing and by touching a hard surface with the virus on it and then touching your nose or mouth. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
For more information go to www.healthyarkansas.com or http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.
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