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The CDC recommends influenza vaccines as the best defense against influenza.(Photo: FILE / Steve Koger)
South Carolina already signaling his the first flu-related death in the season, health officials are stepping up calls for everyone to be vaccinated.
But this is not always as easy for children as for adults, who can go to any pharmacy and get vaccinated against the flu.
This is because the current law prohibits pharmacists from vaccinating children under 12 years of age without a prescription for influenza.
And generally, everyone wants to get vaccinated while the flu season – from October to May – warms up, said Dr. Robin LaCroix, Medical Director of Greenville Health System's Children's Hospital.
This may mean waiting for a moment for an appointment with the pediatrician.
"It's like trying to get Starbucks at 8 in the morning," she said. Greenville News.
"It seems like there are very popular moments where people all come," she said. "We receive calls and when the stories break, the number of calls increases."
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First aid
Influenza is a contagious disease characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, extreme fatigue, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose or stuffy nose and muscle aches. Children may also experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend influenza vaccination to all people 6 months of age and older.
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Dr. Robin LaCroix (Photo: Greenville Health System)
But if you have children under 12 who need to be vaccinated and you do not want to wait for the doctor's appointment to open, it is likely that the pharmacist will not be able to help you.
"Pharmacists have not been able to do that since … The idea of getting vaccines tied to primary care (…). Therefore, if they need additional vaccines, this will be noted, "said LaCroix. "When you combine all care, continuity is better."
This visit to the doctor also provides an opportunity to track all medications that children with asthma or other chronic conditions may require, said Sandra Olson, pediatric nurse practitioner at Bon Secours Primary Care in Greer.
"Children 6 months to 8 years old sometimes need two vaccines in the same flu season, about 30 days apart, if it's the first time they've been given the vaccine or if you have not been vaccinated. vaccinated in the past, "she said. "And your regular service provider will be able to know if your child has ever had two in the past."
Flu clinics
But because demand is generally high when people start to get sick, LaCroix said influenza treatment centers could help vaccinate children. So many pediatric practices schedule clinics for their patients after regular office hours, a few nights a week or a Saturday, she said.
"What we have done to really improve access is to create many flu vaccination clinics around our practices to allow people to register," she said.
"And the Center for Pediatric Medicine opens its flu shot clinics to the entire community, no matter which provider you see," she added. "They just have to ask for an appointment so that they have the necessary staff and they have enough vaccines."
Last year, the Center for Pediatric Medicine administered more than 6,000 influenza vaccines.
The system also launched a phone campaign in September to remind parents to plan the flu shot, she said.
At the Olson medical practice in Greer, providers are trying to accommodate patients and run flu clinics, she said.
Sandra Olson (Photo: St. Francis Bon Secours Health System)
"Many offices recognize that parents work and that it is difficult to get in during office hours," she said.
The health department is another option for influenza vaccines, Olson said.
A deadly season
Although most people recover from influenza within days to two weeks, some people develop life-threatening complications such as pneumonia.
And young children are among those most at risk, as well as pregnant women, people over 65 and those with health problems such as asthma, diabetes or lung disease.
The latest influenza season has been the deadliest in years, with 257 South Carolinians succumbing to the flu, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Previously, the highest number of reported deaths was 157, in the 2014-15 season, compared with less than 100 in each of the other years since 2012.
The predominant strain of influenza last season and in 2014-2015 was the A-H3N2 virus, which tends to be more serious, according to DHEC.
Among children, there have been 13 influenza-related deaths throughout the state since 2012, DHEC reports. Although the underlying medical conditions may contribute to these deaths, only four of the thirteen, or 31%, had been vaccinated, according to the agency.
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Vaccination rate
In the United States, 183 infant deaths were confirmed in the last influenza season, although this number is underreported, according to the CDC.
Three-quarters of people eligible for vaccination and whose vaccination status is known were not vaccinated, the agency said.
The vaccination rate of children in the United States was 57.9%, down 1.1% from the previous year, reports the CDC. South Carolina's rate was 57.2%. Wyoming had the lowest rate – 43.2% – and Rhode Island the highest – 76.2%.
Coverage decreased by 2.2 percentage points among children aged 6 months to 4 years compared to the 2016-17 season, although there was no change in older children .
The vaccination rate among US adults was 37.1%, down 6.2 percentage points from the previous year, reports the CDC. The adult rate in South Carolina was 40.6%.
The CDC estimates that 48.8 million Americans contracted the flu last season, of which 22.7 million went to a health care provider, 959,000 people hospitalized and 79,400 deaths. More than 48,000 of those hospitalized were children.
This is the largest number of diseases recorded since the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, when approximately 60 million people became infected with the flu.
Nurses and pharmacists
While pharmacists are not allowed to administer influenza vaccines to children under 12, CVS MinuteClinics have nurse practitioners able to vaccinate children 18 months and older in South Carolina, a spokesperson said. .
"We do not have specific numbers on the number of influenza vaccines provided in South Carolina, but the number of influenza vaccines administered by CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic has increased significantly over this period. last season. "
At Walgreens, pharmacists in South Carolina can administer the flu vaccine to children 7 years and older with a prescription, as well as 12 years and over without a prescription, said a spokesperson. Patients who do not follow these rules are referred to a doctor, she said.
For more information on the DHEC Department of Health Influenza Vaccines, call 1-855-472-3432 or visit www.scdhec.gov/flu/fluclinics.
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