Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Maine not immune to germ threat

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Health-care workers will distribute an estimated 100,000 doses of influenza vaccine over the next week and a half at 81 sites statewide, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

One-day mass flu vaccination clinics will be held at county health units, civic centers, churches and other community sites on Thursday or Friday of this week, or Nov. 6 or Nov. 7 of next week, depending on the location.

A complete list of clinic locations and times is online: www.healthyarkansas.com/flu/flu_ 2008.htm People who want to get a flu shot should have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance cards with them so insurance claims can be filed when possible. Shots will be free for the uninsured who are unable to pay.

The clinics are being conducted according to the Health Department's Local Mass Dispensing Plan, designed to make sure health-care professionals and volunteers can vaccinate or distribute medication to large populations in a short amount of time, as would be needed in a pandemic influenza outbreak, bioterrorism incident or other such disaster.

"The time to practice dispensing large amounts of medication is now, before we have a disaster," said Dr. William Mason, director of the Health Department's emergency preparedness branch.

"It is important for Arkansans to get their flu shots to protect them from influenza this year. It is also important to exercise our Local County Mass Dispensing Plan." The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, and stomach symptoms such as nausea, throwing up, or diarrhea.

Each year in the United States, 5 percent to 20 percent of people get the flu, 36,000 die from it, and more than 500,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications, such as bacterial pneumonia or dehydration, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu season typically runs from mid-December through March. The virus is spread through coughing or sneezing of infected people, or by touching a surface with the virus and then touching the nose or mouth.

The vaccine, which uses a dead virus, becomes effective two weeks after being administered. The best way to avoid the flu is to get vaccinated each year, which offers 70 percent to 90 percent protection against infection, according to the Health Department.

Copyright 2008 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc.