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November
2, 2006
Little Rock --
The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health (DOH), reports that there is an ample supply of flu vaccine this year. Arkansas is receiving 238,000 doses of the vaccine for use in local public health clinics. Vaccine will be delivered to clinics and available to the public possibly beginning November 20. Arkansans are encouraged to call their local health unit at that time to see about flu shot availability. The flu season in Arkansas usually runs from mid-December to March.
The flu shot will cost $15.00 for anyone not enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid, or the Vaccines for Children Program.
Free one-day mass vaccination clinics are being held in 27 sites in Arkansas. Counties participating are Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Faulkner, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hot Spring, Howard, Jefferson, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Ouachita, Perry, Pope, Pulaski (Central), Pulaski (North Little Rock), Pulaski County (Jacksonville) Saline, Sevier, St. Francis, Van Buren, and Woodruff. The purpose of the clinics is to immunize as many people as possible, as well as to test the Division of Health’s plans for mass dispensing of medicine statewide. If Arkansas ever were to experience pandemic influenza or a similar type of emergency, medication would need to be distributed in a short time frame to large populations. Mass vaccination clinics are one method for doing this. Vaccine will be available in all Arkansas counties after the mass vaccination clinics are complete.
Dr. Paul Halverson, DOH director, said, “We would encourage all Arkansans to get a flu shot this year. And one of the easiest and least costly ways to do this is to attend one of our free, one-day county immunization clinics. Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. The single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to get vaccinated—either by the flu shot or by nasal spray.”
Flu vaccines are safe, effective and cannot cause the flu. Each year, 25 to 50 million people in the U.S. are infected with annual flu. Roughly 36,000 Americans die from complications of the flu; another 200,000 are hospitalized. The flu is serious business—translating into employee absences, lost productivity and bottom line losses. Healthy workers who have been vaccinated have 43 percent fewer sick days than unvaccinated workers.
Those most at risk for influenza disease complications are: those in nursing home; individuals over 50 years of age; persons with chronic diseases of the heart, lung, and kidneys, or who have diabetes, asthma, immunosuppression, or severe forms of anemia; women who will be pregnant during flu season; children and teens on long-term aspirin therapy. Children 24-59 months of age, their family members and their out-of-home caregivers should receive the flu vaccine due to the increased probability of severe illness in this age group. Daycare situations make these children especially vulnerable.
Health care workers should also be vaccinated for influenza since they are at risk for passing influenza infection on to high-risk individuals.
For more information on seasonal influenza, click on http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.
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