Flu Shots

As student pharmacists we are more often helping people after they get sick. However, there are areas that pharmacists can get involved to help prevent illness. One such area is vaccinations. Pharmacists can play a strong role in helping people to avoid getting diseases such as influenza, or the flu. Every year in the United States about 5-20% of the population catches the flu. On average 200,00 people are hospitalized because of complications from the flu and 36,000 people may die. The flu is an illness that can be prevented quite easily.

Getting an annual flu vaccine can greatly reduce a person’s risk of catching the flu. The vaccine can be given by two methods. The first is the shot that most people think of when they think of getting vaccinated. The shot uses an inactivated virus and is injected intramuscularly. The shot can be given to anyone over the age of 6 months. The other method is the nasal spray, or Flu Mist. This method uses a live attenuated, or weakened, virus and is simply sprayed into both nostrils of the person receiving the vaccine. Because this is a live virus, only healthy people between the ages of 2-49 should be vaccinated by this route. Also pregnant women should not receive Flu Mist.

Almost everyone should be vaccinated. However, there are certain people that we really want to make sure they get vaccinated yearly. As student pharmacists we can screen for these higher risk patients and encourage them to get vaccinated. People in this group include those over 50 years old, those with chronic diseases, people who live in nursing homes, people who are risk for complications, and anyone who lives with or works with people at risk for complications.

Whether or not you are able to administer vaccinations, you can take a great role in helping your patients stay healthy by encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. It’s a simple way to prevent catching the flu. And don’t forget to protect yourself from the flu also.


By: Amanda Abrahamsen