State preparing for flu season

Flu is a serious illness and it’s time for Arkansans to get their flu vaccinations. Beginning this week and continuing through the first week of November, the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is providing seasonal flu vaccine at mass flu clinics in every county. A mass flu clinic is a day-long event during which the community comes together to immunize as many people as possible. ADH staff, health professionals and volunteers work as a team to provide vaccine. Some clinics offer “drive-throughs” – you don’t even leave your car.

Dr. Paul Halverson, state health officer and ADH director, said, “Flu can be a serious illness, and we lose roughly 23,600 Americans to complications from flu each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging everyone six months and older to get the vaccine. Last year, the ADH and private providers vaccinated more than 700,000 Arkansans for seasonal flu and H1N1 influenza A. Even with this incredible effort, we lost 53 Arkansans to complications from flu. Preventing the flu is up to you. Please get your vaccine and encourage your family members to do so, too.”

If you have insurance, the ADH will ask your insurance company to pay for the cost of giving the vaccine. If you have insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or ARKids First, bring your cards with you so that we can file with your insurance company. If you do not have insurance or your insurance company does not pay, the vaccine will be no charge to you.

Flu is a sickness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is caused by the influenza virus. If you’re young and healthy, the flu vaccine may be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing illness.

Children eight years and younger who have never received seasonal flu vaccine before will need a second dose of vaccine for full protection. Parents will need to contact a local ADH health unit or health care provider, see if vaccine is available and take their children in for a second dose four weeks after the first vaccination.

Over the last 50 years, flu vaccines have been shown to be safe. All flu vaccines are made the same way. An average of 100 million doses of influenza vaccine is used in the United States each year, and flu vaccines have an excellent safety record.

Reactions to flu vaccines might include a mild soreness and redness near the site of the shot and perhaps a little fever or slight headache. The nasal spray vaccine’s side effects may include runny nose, headache and wheezing, but the flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.

There are very few medical reasons to avoid the flu vaccine. They include life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose of the flu vaccine or to eggs, or a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome. Persons with a non-life threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated but need to see a doctor specializing in allergies.

Influenza symptoms include fever over 100 degrees, 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 the nose or mouth. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.

See complete list of sites at http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programsServices/infectiousDisease/Immunizations/SeasonalFlu/Pages/MassFluClinics.aspx.

Garland County Health Unit - Hot Springs
Address 1425 Malvern Avenue
Hot Springs, AR 71901
Phone 1 501-624-3394
Fax 1 501-624-2706
Administrator Linda Grinnis
Hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Saline County Health Unit - Benton
Address 1612 Edison Avenue
Benton, AR 72015
Phone 1 501-303-5650
Fax 1 501-303-5602
Administrator Karen Mays
Hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

For more information, go to www.healthy.arkansas.gov or www.flu.gov.