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November
8, 2004
Little Rock -- The Arkansas Department of Health was notified Thursday, November 4 at 4:30 p.m. by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta that an additional 80,000 doses of influenza vaccine will be shipped to the state within the next week. Public health officials have been working diligently over the last few weeks to obtain additional doses. The health department is planning to distribute the vaccine around the state as soon as possible.
“Obviously, we are elated by this news,” said Fay Boozman, director, Arkansas Department of Health. “This is far more than we ever expected to receive, and it means that many more high-risk Arkansans will receive the protection that the flu shots offer them this year.”
The Health Department recently conducted an unprecedented statewide mass vaccination of high-risk individuals Wednesday, November 3. Some 52,195 high-risk Arkansans received vaccine in addition to 45,000 nursing home patients and staff in the days previous to the mass clinics. Boozman said, “The timing of this additional shipment is amazing. It comes on the heels of an incredible effort by ADH colleagues and volunteers to immunize our most frail populations in the largest one-day mass vaccination in our state’s history.”
“Based on what we were hearing several weeks ago, we were not anticipating receipt of additional vaccine. We were already into the flu season, and even though there were no flu cases reported anywhere in the state, we wanted to get that initial shipment out to folks as soon as possible. The vaccine takes two weeks to become effective. It was very pressing, as it always is, to vaccinate the high-risk individuals against the flu. We made the decision not to gamble with the public health, and we’d do it again, knowing what we knew at the time. The fact that we are finding out now there will be enough vaccine to protect so many more Arkansans is something we weren’t able to predict at all.”
The Health Department will be announcing additional vaccine shipment allocations and when and where additional high-risk Arkansans can receive flu shots in the near future.
Everyone can help prevent the spread of influenza by taking action:
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Avoid close contact with people who are sick
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Wash your hands with soap often
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Use a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available
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If you smoke, try to quit. You are more susceptible to upper-respiratory disease when you smoke.
If you’re sick, don’t spread your germs to others:
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Cover your mouth and nose with your hand, sleeve or a tissue every time you sneeze or cough
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Put used tissue into the trash
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Wash your hands with soap and water and use paper towels instead of cloth towels in your bathroom. Throw used paper towels into the trash.
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In the home, frequently clean surfaces that are touched often (phone, remote control, door knobs, etc.) with antibacterial soap or spray
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Stay home.
For the latest information about the flu vaccination program in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) website at
http://www.healthyarkansas.com/flushots.htm or call the ADH flu hotline at 1-800-651-3493, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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