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The Arkansas Department of Health set a new record when it immunized 123,172 Arkansans against influenza last week.
The shots were dispensed during the mass flu vaccination clinics held statewide in 81 health units. All 75 counties were involved again this year, but the totals significantly surpassed last year’s number of 103,541 vaccinations for the exercise, according to the department.
Dr. William Mason, director of the Emergency Response and Preparedness Branch, said the purpose of the drill was two-fold.
The first goal was to exercise the state’s mass dispensing plan, Mason said. The plan is designed to ensure that health professionals and volunteers are prepared to vaccinate or dispense medication to a large population in a very short period of time, such as during a pandemic.
The mass vaccination also gave the state a jump-start on the flu season.
“We can attribute the success of these clinics to the collaborative effort between the local public health units and the many citizen volunteers,” said Randy Lee, director, ADH Center for Local Public Health. “This was a real community effort.”
Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness and results in 25million to 50 million infections and 36,000 deaths in the United States each year.
Symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The 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. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
For more information on seasonal influenza, click on http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.
The Sun-Times
The Arkansas Department of Health set a new record when it immunized 123,172 Arkansans against influenza last week.
The shots were dispensed during the mass flu vaccination clinics held statewide in 81 health units. All 75 counties were involved again this year, but the totals significantly surpassed last year’s number of 103,541 vaccinations for the exercise, according to the department.
Dr. William Mason, director of the Emergency Response and Preparedness Branch, said the purpose of the drill was two-fold.
The first goal was to exercise the state’s mass dispensing plan, Mason said. The plan is designed to ensure that health professionals and volunteers are prepared to vaccinate or dispense medication to a large population in a very short period of time, such as during a pandemic.
The mass vaccination also gave the state a jump-start on the flu season.
“We can attribute the success of these clinics to the collaborative effort between the local public health units and the many citizen volunteers,” said Randy Lee, director, ADH Center for Local Public Health. “This was a real community effort.”
Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness and results in 25million to 50 million infections and 36,000 deaths in the United States each year.
Symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The 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. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
For more information on seasonal influenza, click on http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.
The Sun-Times
