September 8th, 2020:
Fall is approaching! That means falling leaves, halloween candy on all the store shelves, and flu vaccines. The southern hemisphere had a relatively mild flu season, due in part to compliance with social distancing, facial masks, and frequent hand washing. Certainly we hope we will have a similar "light" flu season as well. So why is it still important to get a flu vaccine?
Every year flu causes severe illness for patients of all age groups, many requiring hospitilzation. During the 2019/2020 flu season, 118 Arkansans (mostly older patients) died from the flu. (For context, COVID, over 6 months, has caused the death of 882 Arkansans). Many health experts fear that COVID will have a similar rise in infection rate during the winter months like the flu. So, potentially, as flu infections begin to rise, so too could COVID cases rise.
We all hope we will have an effective COVID vaccine soon. But until that time our best defense includes social distancing and wearing face masks when out in public spaces or in groups. Luckily for flu, we have a vaccine that is proven effective (although, admittedly, it is not 100%). Strong flu shot adherence this season will reduce the number of people getting the flu and therefore reduce the hospitilzations due to flu, preserving capacity for potential COVID patients.
Many parents tell me they recall a year that they received the flu vaccine but "still got the flu". I acknowledge that that happens; however, research has shown (and my own observations from seeing kids has demonstrated) that those patients who received the flu vaccine but still get the flu are FAR less sick than if they had not received the flu vaccine at all.
So The Children's Clinic of Conway and Greenbrier recommends everyone get their flu vaccine - some schools are giving them, some pharmacies are giving them, and of course our friendly (and gentle) nurses are giving the flu vaccine as well. Every year the Killingsworth family goes in around September or October and we all get our flu vaccines. And aside from some arm (or thigh, for the kids) soreness for a day or so, we recover just fine within a few minutes (I admit, a Chick-Fil-A milkshake helps)!
So make a plan to get yourself and your kids their flu vaccines this fall! Flu vaccines are now available at both of our locations - give us a call to schedule your child's flu vaccine appointment and stay tuned for instructions on how to self-schedule.
Chris Killingsworth, MD
