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.
Clay County Mass Flu Clinic
The Clay County Mass Flu Clinic will be held Thursday, October 31th from 9am to 330pm at the Corning Community Center located at 536 Elm Street in Corning, AR
For more information, please contact your local health unit.
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Craighead County Mass Flu Clinic
The Craighead County Mass Flu Clinic will be held Wednesday, October 30th from 8am to 5pm at St.Bernard Auditorium located on Washington Ave in Jonesboro, AR.
For more information, please contact your local health unit.
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Mississippi County Mass Flu Clinic
The Mississippi County Mass Flu Clinic will be held Wednesday, October 30th from 9am to 12pm at Dell Community Center.
For more information, please contact your local health unit.
Cross County Mass Flu Clinic
The Cross County Mass Flu Clinic will be held Tuesday, October 29th from 9am to 2pm at Wynne Baptist Church located at 1200 Bridges Ave in Wynne.
For more information, please contact your local health unit.
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Lawrence County Mass Flu Clinic
The Lawrence County Mass Flu Clinic will be held Tuesday, October 29th from 8am to 4:30pm at their Local Health Unit located at 1050 W. Free, Walnut Ridge.
For more information, please contact your local health unit.
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Free Flu Clinics for Arkansas
Mass Flu Clinics and School Flu Clinics for Arkansas have been posted.
A Mass Flu Clinic is a day-long event during which the community comes together to immunize as many people as possible. Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) staff, health professionals and volunteers work as a team to provide vaccine. Some clinics offer “drive-thrus” – you don’t even leave your car.
Craighead County, your mass flu clinic is Wednesday, October 30th from 8am to 5pm at St. Bernards Auditorium.
For a list of all Northeast Arkansas’ Mass Flu Clinics, click here. For a list of all Northeast Arkansas’ School Flu Clinics, click here.
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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.
FluView National Flu Activity Map
The FluView National Flu Activity Map is a complementary widget to the state-by-state flu map widget introduced in the 2007-2008 flu season. This interactive map allows users to see the most recent seasonal influenza activity map for the entire country as well as the activity levels from previous weeks in the current flu season.
