There will be several opportunities for local residents to get a flu shot this fall, including a mass, free clinic at the local Health Department.
Flu shots will be given at the Kroger pharmacy on Oct. 8. The cost will be $20. Pneumonia shots will also be available.
Shots will be given at Super D on Oct. 9 and Oct. 19 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be a fee, but store officials have not yet determined the amount.
No appointments are necessary.
The mass clinic will take place on Oct. 30 at both the health unit in Blytheville at 1299 N. 10th Street and the Osceola health unit at 720 W. Lee Street.
The hours for the clinic will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. that day, said Ann Wright, spokeswoman for the state Health Department.
Although the flu shots will be given free of charge, those receiving shots are asked to bring their insurance cards, whether private or public insurance, so that the department can bill the insurance in an effort to recoup some of the costs.
The clinic will feature vaccinations for both the regular, seasonal flu and the H1N1 strain of the flu, Wright said.
Doses of the H1N1 vaccination, which is given through a nasal mist, are limited and will only be given to those persons fitting certain categories. Among those categories are:
-- Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated;
-- Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants younger than 6 months old might help protect infants by "cocooning" them from the virus;
-- Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare system capacity;
-- All people from 6 months through 24 years of age
-- Children from 6 months through 18 years of age because cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza have been seen in children who are in close contact with each other in school and day care settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread
-- Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because many cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza have been seen in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population
-- Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
Once additional doses of the H1N1 vaccine are received, the health department will offer a mass vaccination clinic for it, Wright said.
Symptoms of H1N1 are very similar to the seasonal flu, Wright said. Symptoms include a fever of over 100 degrees, headache, body aches, upper respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or sore throat.
If a person has a combination of these symptoms, they are advised to call their doctor for a prescription of an anti-viral drug which has been effective in shortening the length of the illness.
Wright advises citizens to call their doctor to avoid spreading the illness to others in public.
The best defense against the flu is to prevent it, Wright said. The health department encourages everyone to "practice the 3 Cs": Clean -- wash your hands often; Cover -- cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; and Contain -- stay home if you are sick.
So far, there have been five deaths statewide because of H1N1, Wright said. This is fewer than the usual rate of flu-related deaths, which numbers 36,000 nationwide each year. Divided by 50 states, that means an average of 720 people per state per year die of influenza.
For more information about the flu, go to www.healthyarkansas.com.
dhilton@blythevillecourier.comDates set for flu shot distribution