Flu

Flu Mist & Flu Shot Available

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The Children’s Clinic just received a shipment of the Flu Mist* flu vaccine. We also have flu shots in stock. It is not too late to protect yourself against the flu! Call our office today to schedule your flu vaccine appointment.

Influenza is dangerous for children

Influenza (“the flu”) is more dangerous than the common cold for children. Each year, many children get sick with seasonal influenza; some of those illnesses result in death.

• Children commonly need medical care because of influenza, especially before they turn 5 years old.
• Severe influenza complications are most common in children younger than 2 years old.
• Children with chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes and disorders of the brain or nervous system are at especially high risk of developing serious flu complications.
• Each year an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized because of influenza complications.
• Flu seasons vary in severity, however some children die from flu each year. Last influenza season, more than 140 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported.

For flu-related updates from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, follow @CDCFlu on twitter.

* Flu Mist nasal spray flu vaccine is not recommended for children under the age of 2 years old. Your child’s physician will determine if this is the best method of vaccinating your child.

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Does the Flu Vaccine Work and should my child get one this Flu season?

Does the Flu Vaccine Work and should my child get one this Flu season?

The answer to both these questions is yes.

Recent news reports have come out in reference to the CDC’s reported concern about the Flu Vaccines effectiveness. And thus the question must be should I even bother getting my child a Flu vaccine if it’s ability to help is in question?

Setting aside the very small minority who are not eligible to receive the Flu vaccine like those who are allergic, and who have immune related issues and those under 6mo of age, every eligible person should get a Flu vaccine. Despite reports of the Flu vaccine not be as effective as hoped any vaccine is better than none. Our immune system responds to vaccines by producing antibodies to fight off actual infections we come in contact with. The vaccines job is to trick our immune system into thinking we have the illness, in this case the Flu, and thus stimulating an immune response that leads to the production of these protective Flu antibodies. Most will develop these protective antibodies in 2-4wks after receiving the vaccine.

The problem with the Flu is unpredictability. The Flu type, severity, and the timing of its arrival to the U.S. from other parts of the world are extremely unpredictable. The top 3-4 types of the Flu are used to create the vaccine. If the these most common forms of the Flu are not the type(s) of Flu that show up during this Flu season then the vaccine will appear to be less effective as many who received the vaccine may still come down with Flu-like symptoms. However, the Flu vaccine, even in these cases, still provides protection. But that doesn’t make any sense, right? But realize that despite being vaccinated and still contracting the Flu the likelihood is that without some protective antibodies, produced secondary to the vaccine, the person would have been more critically ill and may have even required hospitalization. So despite concerns over the effectiveness of the Flu vaccine we at the Childrens Clinic would agree with the CDC’s recommendation and urge all our eligible patients to receive a yearly Flu vaccine, along with their family members to help prevent illness from spreading and to avoid the need to hospitalize our patients.

2013 Flu Clinic for The Children’s Clinic

The Children’s Clinic is currently scheduling appointments for their flu clinics. You can call our office at 870-935-6012.

We are not providers for the VFC program, which means our ARKIDS or Arkansas Medicaid patients will need to contact their local health unit.