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You have a fever, a cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and body aches, is it the flu, or is it a cold? How do you know? A visit to the doctor is the best way to know for sure, but what do you do to stay healthy, or not infect someone else?
With a little Internet research, anyone can learn what to do about the flu.
One thing area parents need to be aware of are the upcoming school flu shot clinics. The clinics will take place at every school district in the county with the first being November 6 and the last taking place December 2.
The schedule for school clinics in Cleburne County are: Concord, November 6; Quitman, November 12; Heber Springs, November 19 (and 20 if needed); and West Side, December 2.
The Arkansas Department of Health plans on administering both the seasonal flu shot and either the H1N1 nasal mist (which is the live virus) or the H1N1 shot (which hasn’t been shipped out yet) at the school clinics. “The H1N1 nasal mist arrived in the state Tuesday,” said Ann Wright, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Health. “We received 17,000 doses. The high priority groups will receive the vaccine first. Those include children ages six-months to 24-years.”
All schools have either sent out paperwork and sign up forms, or soon will. Parents can opt for their child to receive the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine, one or the other, or neither. “With H1N1 being in limited quantities, it may or may not be available when it comes to the school clinics,” said Wright. “If we only have enough to treat a few dozen, then that’s what we’ll do. We will administer what we have.”
According to ADH, as Arkansas gets more H1N1 vaccine, those doses will be given to other priority groups first. ADH says these include pregnant women, health care workers and emergency medical responders, people caring for infants under 6 months of age, and people ages 25-64 years with underlying health conditions (like asthma, diabetes). Pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions cannot receive the nasal flu mist. “Initially, the doses of vaccine we receive will be in the nasal flu mist form but the department expects to receive doses in the ‘shot’ form by mid-October,” said Dr. James Phillips, branch chief, infectious disease, ADH.
Possibly the best chance to receive both the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines will be at a mass flu clinic taking place October 30 at the Cleburne County Health Unit located at 600 South 11th. The clinic will open at 7 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. Again, the quantity may be limited.
ADH reported, “As soon as supplies permit, the ADH will be supplying vaccine to the other providers that have registered to administer doses of the new H1N1 vaccine in the state.”
For a ton of additional information regarding the flu, go to flu.gov and healthyarkansas.com.
For a 2009 H1N1 “Flu Shot” Vaccine Information Sheet go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-inact-h1n1.pdf.
For a 2009 H1N1 LAIV “Nasal Spray Vaccine” Vaccine Information Sheet go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-laiv-h1n1.pdf.
You have a fever, a cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and body aches, is it the flu, or is it a cold? How do you know? A visit to the doctor is the best way to know for sure, but what do you do to stay healthy, or not infect someone else?
With a little Internet research, anyone can learn what to do about the flu.
One thing area parents need to be aware of are the upcoming school flu shot clinics. The clinics will take place at every school district in the county with the first being November 6 and the last taking place December 2.
The schedule for school clinics in Cleburne County are: Concord, November 6; Quitman, November 12; Heber Springs, November 19 (and 20 if needed); and West Side, December 2.
The Arkansas Department of Health plans on administering both the seasonal flu shot and either the H1N1 nasal mist (which is the live virus) or the H1N1 shot (which hasn’t been shipped out yet) at the school clinics. “The H1N1 nasal mist arrived in the state Tuesday,” said Ann Wright, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Health. “We received 17,000 doses. The high priority groups will receive the vaccine first. Those include children ages six-months to 24-years.”
All schools have either sent out paperwork and sign up forms, or soon will. Parents can opt for their child to receive the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine, one or the other, or neither. “With H1N1 being in limited quantities, it may or may not be available when it comes to the school clinics,” said Wright. “If we only have enough to treat a few dozen, then that’s what we’ll do. We will administer what we have.”
According to ADH, as Arkansas gets more H1N1 vaccine, those doses will be given to other priority groups first. ADH says these include pregnant women, health care workers and emergency medical responders, people caring for infants under 6 months of age, and people ages 25-64 years with underlying health conditions (like asthma, diabetes). Pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions cannot receive the nasal flu mist. “Initially, the doses of vaccine we receive will be in the nasal flu mist form but the department expects to receive doses in the ‘shot’ form by mid-October,” said Dr. James Phillips, branch chief, infectious disease, ADH.
Possibly the best chance to receive both the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines will be at a mass flu clinic taking place October 30 at the Cleburne County Health Unit located at 600 South 11th. The clinic will open at 7 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. Again, the quantity may be limited.
ADH reported, “As soon as supplies permit, the ADH will be supplying vaccine to the other providers that have registered to administer doses of the new H1N1 vaccine in the state.”
For a ton of additional information regarding the flu, go to flu.gov and healthyarkansas.com.
For a 2009 H1N1 “Flu Shot” Vaccine Information Sheet go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-inact-h1n1.pdf.
For a 2009 H1N1 LAIV “Nasal Spray Vaccine” Vaccine Information Sheet go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-laiv-h1n1.pdf.
