Free flu shots available in Arkansas

SPRINGDALE -- The Arkansas Department of Health is offering free flu shots at local offices in response to the 125 flu-related deaths already reported in the state this season.

"The state continues to see a high number of flu cases and flu-related deaths this season," Meg Mirivel, public information officer for the Health Department, wrote in a news release. Any Arkansan who hasn't yet received a flu shot can go to his local health unit, she said.

The local health units are listed on the Health Department's website at www.healthy.arkansas.gov/health-units.

Loy Bailey, director of Benton County's Health Department, said the flu season in Benton County has mirrored the rest of the state and region, with reports of the flu coming in early and continuing. Bailey said the Rogers office is working with people trying to get flu shots and anyone who hasn't yet gotten a shot should do so. He said anyone who's at the Rogers office before 4 p.m. will be seen. Normal business hours end at 4:30 p.m., he said.

"It's been a little more severe this year than in recent years," Bailey said. "We're continuing to encourage those who have not gotten the vaccination to do so. It can still prevent it or, if you do get it, it will appreciably lessen the severity of your illness."

Mirivel said the state has given about 215,000 flu shots so far this season, compared with about 220,000 in the last flu season. She said the department won't have final totals, which will include shots given at clinics, pharmacies and doctor's offices, until the season has ended.

A report from The Associated Press reports this season is now as bad as the swine flu epidemic nine years ago.

A government report Friday shows one of every 13 visits to the doctor last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu, according to the Associated Press report. That ties the highest level seen in the U.S. during swine flu in 2009. And it surpasses every winter flu season since 2003, when the government changed the way it measures flu.

This season started early and has been driven by a nasty type of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths than more common flu bugs. But its long-lasting intensity has surprised experts, who are still sorting out why it's been so bad. Flu usually peaks in February.

Mirivel said it's most common for people to get flu shots in the late summer or early fall, but it isn't too late to get a shot for this season.

"It takes about two weeks for the shot to reach its maximum effectiveness," she said. "We expect this season to last for several more weeks."

The Health Department is reporting 125 flu-related deaths so far this season. Three of those deaths were children. Mirivel said this season could be among the worst in the state's history. Changes in record-keeping make it difficult to compare flu seasons from decades in the past, she said, but in the 2014-15 season the state reported 110 flu-related deaths.

"This will be the worst flu season for at least the last two decades," Mirivel said. "We typically record two-thirds of deaths after the peak of the season. We're not sure whether the season has peaked. We could be looking at over 200 deaths."

State epidemiologist Dirk Haselow said late last month a third of the people who died from the flu had received a flu vaccination for this season. That suggests the shot might be effective in preventing severe illness and death, even if it doesn't stop someone from getting the flu, he said.

Other important ways to prevent the spread of flu include: Washing your hands, avoiding people who are sick, coughing into your elbow, avoiding touching your face and eyes, and staying home when you are sick, she said.

Dr. Gary Wheeler, chief medical officer with the Health Department, said people experience the flu in varying degrees.

"There is a spectrum of illness," Wheeler said. "Some people experience virtually no symptoms while others, within the first few hours, feel dramatically different, like someone has hit them with a tire iron."

Wheeler encouraged people who are at a higher degree of risk for the flu to contact health care providers to discuss their symptoms and the best course of treatment.

The Health Department said people who are at a greater risk for complications from the flu include:

• Children age two and younger;

• Adults age 65 years and older;

• Pregnant women, or women up to two weeks after delivering a child;

• People with a suppressed immune system;

• People with chronic health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and heart disease; and

• Residents of nursing homes or other chronic care facilities.

Flu shots

Free flu shots are available at the local Health Department units, which are listed on the Department's website at www.healthy.arkansas.gov/health-units. Flu symptoms include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, muscle or body aches, fatigue and a headache. Symptoms may also include vomiting and diarrhea in children. Influenza antiviral prescription drugs like Tamiflu can be used to prevent or treat influenza if started soon after symptoms begin.

Source: Arkansas Department of Health

General News on 02/14/2018