Arkansas editorial roundup
Oct. 27 Southwest Times Record
Forget about Ebola, go get a flu shot
We worry about the wrong things. We worry about shark attacks although we’re more likely to be killed by lightning. We worry about flying although we’re more likely to be killed in a car. We worry about Ebola, but we are far more likely to die from the flu. We worry about the inconvenience and discomfort of a flu shot, but without the shot as many as 20 percent of us may suffer the far worse symptoms of the flu this year. Get your flu shot. In a news report last week, Dr. Bryan Clardy, Sebastian County health officer, described the preparation, planning and equipment at the disposal of local healthcare workers in the unlikely event Fort Smith would see even one Ebola virus case.
Dr. Clardy noted that the risk of an outbreak of Ebola here is “very low” and said only people who travel to this area from west Africa or who have cared for an Ebola patient are at risk. Despite the fact that in Dallas one patient died and two health-care workers contracted the disease, travel to Dallas does not pose a risk, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
But we are at risk from the flu. According to the health department, 39 people died from flu last year in Arkansas. Of those people, Dr. Clardy believes 12 to 16 were from Fort Smith, including the lovely children’s librarian, Leslie Creekmore.
This is the right time to get your flu shot.
In its weekly flu report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted sporadic flu activity in Arkansas, we learned in a report in Friday’s edition. The Oklahoma Department of Health reported the state’s first two cases this season last week. Because it may take some time for the flu shot to be fully effective, getting it before the flu takes over the area is a good idea.
Who needs the shot? Everyone six months and older. Pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions are approved to get the shot, according to the CDC. In short, everyone except infants younger than six months and those with life-threatening allergies to components of the shot should get some version of the vaccine. Even those with egg allergies can get some form of the vaccination. Of course, if you have questions, ask your doctor.
Friday’s report outlines some places flu shots are or soon will be available in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Pharmacies, physicians and walk-in clinics are offering the shot as are some area employers.
Not yet available are the mass flu clinics usually offered by county health departments at this time of year. A delay in shipping vaccines to Arkansas has put a delay on the mass clinics. The vaccine stock available to the state Health Department is going to school flu clinics for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Because children are likely to spread the disease widely through their families and classrooms, targeting them for vaccinations first makes public health sense.
As soon as the mass clinics are scheduled in various counties, we will let you know.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other places to get the shot. Once you’ve have yours, you can go back to worrying about sharks and Ebola. Or better still, do something good for yourself and go take a walk.