FAYETTEVILLE — Lisa Cortez of Fayetteville fears needles.
Her fear has always kept her from getting a flu vaccine, but as she walked into a local pharmacy Tuesday afternoon, she also said she’s never been convinced of the vaccine’s eff ectiveness.
“I’ve heard of too many people that have gotten sick off of the fl u shots,” Cortez said.
What Cortez has heard is pure urban legend, said Ann Wright, communications director for the Arkansas Department of Health.
The flu vaccine is 79 percent to 90 percent effective for preventing the seasonal flu, she said. The vaccination takes a couple of weeks before it becomes eff ective.
If someone gets sick at the time of the vaccine, it’s because he’s already contracted the flu, Wright said.
This year, that fear of needles that stops a good number of people from getting the vaccine shouldn’t be a barrier. To start, people only need one vaccination this year, compared with the two last year. The seasonal fl u vaccination has been combined with the H1N1 vaccine, Wright said.
At Washington and Benton counties’ mass flu clinics scheduled during the next week, fl u vaccinations will be free, including the nasal spray vaccinations that can be taken by people between ages 2 and 49.
“Nobody will be denied because they have no money,” said Rick Johnson, deputy director of the Washington County Department of Emergency Management.
However, staff will ask people with insurance coverage to help pay for the vaccines, Johnson and Wright both said.
County health employees expect to immunize about 4,000 people at each clinic.
People who miss the mass clinics will be able to get a vaccination from county health departments for $20.
The mass clinics also provide county emergency planners a chance to practice handling large-scale emergencies.
Staff at the Washington County Department of Emergency Management will practice running largescale dispensing of medicine, Johnson said.
“Even though there is not the panic of the pandemic that we’ve talked about in the past, we’re still encouraging everyone to get a fl u shot,” Johnson said.
The state has recorded only one serious case of the flu so far this season, Wright said.
However, flu season normally starts in November, peaks in December and January, and drops off in March, Wright said.
Schools are one of the largest breeding grounds for the fl u.
County health departments have vaccinated almost 41 ,000 students in the state, Wright said. Washington County health workers have vaccinated 5,214 students this year and plan on vaccinating another 18,800.
People need to continue regularly washing the hands and covering the mouth when coughing, Johnson said.
Cortez said she would consider her fi rst fl u vaccination now that she doesn’t have to face a needle.
For more information about this year’s fl u season, go to www.healthy.arkansas. gov or www.cdc.gov/flu.