Arkansas | Severe flooding affecting the Little Rock region
Little Rock AR | Extreme flooding in the Metro Little Rock area. Several counties remain under a flood warning. State police reporting MVCs and rescues in several areas. Many Bryant schools just west of LR are inaccessible and buses are not running. Same in Lonoke, east of LR. Several thousand without power.
Arkansas | Mass flu vax clinics completed – 70,000+ doses administered
Little Rock AR | This year’s Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) mass flu vaccination clinics have ended after providing 70,815 doses of vaccine in 98 clinics statewide in all 75 counties, with support from community volunteers.
Officials stress that it is not too late to get a flu vaccine, however. There is plenty of vaccine available at local health units in each county, as well as at pharmacies and doctor’s offices around the state.
“We have given approximately 209,395 total doses by now, when you include the clinics we hold in the schools,” James Phillips, MD, Infectious Disease branch chief, said. “The school total is about 138,580 at last report, but we still have clinics scheduled from now to the middle of December, and we will probably add a few more doses to the total number for the mass vaccination clinics as final reports are completed.”
Last year, ADH mass vaccination clinics gave 80,087 doses, and 162,537 doses were provided at over 1,100 school clinics for a total of 242,624 doses. This does not include doses administered by retailers, pharmacies, physicians’ offices and most other clinics in the state.
Phillips said that now is the best time to get vaccinated if you haven’t been yet.
“We usually see a surge in influenza cases beginning in mid-December,” Phillips said. “It will take about two weeks for the vaccine to build immunity in your body, and sometimes as much as six weeks before you are fully-protected, so now is the time.”
Influenza is a viral infection affecting the respiratory system, sometimes with very serious side effects, especially for certain groups of people who cannot get vaccine or do not generate as much immunity from taking the vaccine. Infants less than six months old cannot get vaccine, and some older people or others with compromised immune systems typically do not respond with as much immunity as those who are young and healthy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and (CDC), influenza activity is still not widespread in most of the United States, but will soon begin to show up according to the flu’s regular seasonal pattern. As of November 17, 2011, there were four laboratory confirmed cases of flu in Arkansas.
“With the ADH statewide vaccination effort and the effort of medical professionals in pharmacies, physicians’ offices and hospitals, we know that many Arkansans have received protection by now, and will be protected for the holiday season,” Phillips said.
Although influenza activity can rise and fall during an influenza season, activity in the United States generally peaks in January or later in most years. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent flu. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older be vaccinated, even if they had seasonal vaccine last season. Flu vaccine can protect you from influenza illness and can be life-saving for those who are pregnant or have asthma or diabetes – all of whom are predisposed to developing serious flu complications.
Phillips, said, “We know that we will begin to see more disease in our state soon. Many folks that get the flu don’t see a doctor, and people can have the flu and spread the infection before showing any symptoms. The time to get a flu shot is now, before you get sick.”
For more information about influenza and the importance of flu shots, visit www.healthy.arkansas.gov or call your local county health unit.
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