EDITOR’S NOTE: Information for this article was drawn from the Arkansas Department of Health website and an announcement from the Columbia County Health Unit.
The Columbia County Health Unit will hold a mass flu clinic for the public on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.at the health unit, 207 W. Calhoun St. in Magnolia.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health, the best way to prevent the flu is to get the flu vaccine each year. The vaccine takes one to two weeks to start working and is 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing the seasonal flu.
Influenza (“the flu”) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Some people - such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions - are at high risk for serious flu complications. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year.
Children, the elderly, health care workers and others prone to getting the flu should get their flu vaccine every year.
For extra safety, people you live with or spend a lot of time with should also get a flu vaccine. One is less likely to get the flu if the people around them don’t have it.
Flu vaccine helps the body fight the flu during the height of the flu season, which is generally December through March.
The schedule for school vaccinations is as follows:
•Monday, Oct. 12: Taylor School, Activities Building, 8-10 a.m.; Emerson School, gym lobby, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
•Tuesday, Oct.13: East Side Kindergarten/Elementary, gym, 8 a.m.-12 noon.
•Wednesday, Oct. 14: Magnolia Jr. High/Central Elementary, gym, 8 a.m.-12 noon;.
•Thursday, Oct. 15: Walker Pre-K, auditorium, 8 a.m.; Magnolia High School, choir room, 10:30 a.m .-12 noon.
Anyone interested in serving as volunteer - either nurse or clerk - should contact Melinda Harrell, Columbia County Health Unit administrator, at (870) 299-2526.
Seasonal flu is a disease that causes mild to severe illness and is easily spread. Each year in the United States, 25-50 million infections are reported, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and 23,600 die due to seasonal flu.
The seasonal flu 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.
Flu vaccine will not give a person the flu. The shot is a vaccine that helps protect against the seasonal flu virus.
The best way to prevent the flu is to get the flu vaccine each year. The vaccine takes one to two weeks to start working and is 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing the seasonal flu.
Children can catch the flu more often than adults but they usually aren’t as sick. Parents should keep their sick children at home so they do not spread the flu to others.
For older adults and others who are at risk of complications, flu vaccine can reduce hospitalizations by as much as 70 percent and deaths by 85 percent.
Signs, symptoms
People who have the flu often feel some or all of these signs and symptoms:
•Fever or feeling feverish/chills. It is important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
•Cough, sore throat.
•Runny or stuffy nose,
•Muscle or body aches, headaches.
•Fatigue (very tired).
•Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, eyes or possibly their nose.
You may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be able to infect others for an even longer time.
Flu is unpredictable and how severe it is can vary widely from one season to the next depending on many things, including:
•What flu viruses are spreading.
•How much flu vaccine is available.
•When vaccine is available.
•How many people get vaccinated, and
•How well the flu vaccine is matched to flu viruses that are causing illness.
Certain people are at greater risk for serious complications if they get the flu. This includes older people, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease).
Flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.
Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.
There are several flu vaccine options for the 2015-2016 flu season.
Traditional flu vaccines made to protect against three different flu viruses (called “trivalent” vaccines) are available. In addition, flu vaccines made to protect against four different flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines) also are available.
Trivalent flu vaccine protects against two influenza A viruses (an H1N1 and an H3N2) and an influenza B virus. The following trivalent flu vaccines are available:
Standard-dose trivalent shots that are manufactured using virus grown in eggs. There are several different flu shots of this type available, and they are approved for people of different ages. Some are approved for use in people as young as six months of age. Most flu shots are given with a needle. One standard dose trivalent shot also can be given with a jet injector, for persons aged 18 through 64 years.
Yearly flu vaccination should begin soon after flu vaccine is available, and ideally by October. However, getting vaccinated even later can be protective, as long as flu viruses are circulating. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, most of the time influenza activity peaks in January or later. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection, it is best that people get vaccinated so they are protected before influenza begins spreading in their community.
Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This recommendation has been in place since Feb. 24, 2010 when the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination in the U.S. to expand protection against the flu to more people.
Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza.
Who should not be vaccinated against seasonal flu? Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any relevant allergies, including an egg allergy.
Flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant. Changes in the immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women (and women up to two weeks postpartum) more prone to severe illness from flu, as well as to hospitalizations and even death. Pregnant women with flu also have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery.
Getting a flu shot is the first and most important step in protecting against flu. The flu shot given during pregnancy has been shown to protect both the mother and her baby (up to six months old) from flu. The nasal spray vaccine should not be given to women who are pregnant.
Flu shots are a safe way to protect the mother and her unborn child from serious illness and complications of flu. The flu shot has been given to millions of pregnant women over many years. Flu shots have not been shown to cause harm to pregnant women or their babies. It is very important for pregnant women to get the flu shot.
In addition to getting the flu shot, pregnant women should take additional everyday preventive actions.
Early treatment is important for pregnant women. A pregnant woman who gets sick with flu-like symptoms should contact her doctor right away. If needed, the doctor will prescribe an antiviral drug that treats the flu.
Having a fever caused by flu infection or other infections early in pregnancy can lead to birth defects in an unborn child. Pregnant women who get a fever should treat their fever and contact their doctor as soon as possible.
A pregnant woman who has any of the following signs, should call 911 right away:
•Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
•Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen.
•Sudden dizziness or confusion.
•Severe or persistent vomiting.
•High fever that is not responding to medication.
•Decreased or no movement of the baby.