Content about Flu pandemic

CINCINNATI — Kroger has announced that it is offering $25 flu shots at more than 1,900 Kroger pharmacy locations nationwide and at The Little Clinic locations inside select stores.

Flu shots are available for ages 2 years and older and high-dose flu shots are available for patients ages 65 years and older.

Certified pharmacists, The Little Clinic nurse practitioners or physician assistants administer all flu shots. Kroger pharmacies accept most insurance plans including Medicare.

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported 12 additional human infections with influenza A (H3N2) variant virus in three states, comprising of one case in Hawaii, 10 cases in Ohio and one case in Indiana. The H3N2v virus contains the M gene from the 2009 H1N1 virus, as have the previous 17 cases detected since July 2011.

OTTAWA — Getting a flu shot during pregnancy provides unanticipated benefits to the baby, according to the authors of a large population-based study examining the issue. Specifically, the study showed that H1N1 vaccination during the pandemic was associated with a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and extremely small babies at birth.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday donated 375,000 doses of seasonal flu vaccine to Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Lao PDR health officials have designated the 375,000 doses of donated flu vaccine for people at high risk of flu complications in that country, including pregnant women, seniors and people with such chronic health conditions as heart and lung disease. The Walgreens donation was the result of a longstanding collaboration between the Lao MOH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Kerr Drug is kicking off its flu shot campaign this month, the regional chain said Friday.

Kerr pharmacists will administer vaccines for the 2011-2012 flu season at most of its stores in North Carolina. It also plans to offer vaccines at its booth during the 2011 North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, N.C., from Oct. 13 to 23.

ATLANTA — Many adults across the United States opted to visit their local drug store or supermarket to receive their flu shot during the 2010-2011 influenza season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that the flu vaccine for the 2011-2012 season protect against the same strains as it did this year.

The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that the vaccine will protect those immunized against H1N1, H3N2 and a type of influenza-B virus, the same formulation as this past season's vaccine.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio Department of Health study released Wednesday estimated that Ohio’s H1N1 vaccination efforts prevented 64 deaths, 1,400 hospitalizations and 310,402 cases of influenza during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The study also estimated that Ohio’s vaccination efforts saved the state $8.4 million in H1N1-related hospitalization costs.

ATLANTA — Influenza activity in the United States decreased across several indicators, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, though the agency projected that illness rates for the season have not yet peaked.

Of all influenza A viruses tested since Oct. 30, 2010, only 15.8% were identified as the 2009 H1N1 virus; 44.6% of the specimens were identified as an H3N2 virus. That virus is similar to the H3N2 component of the 2010-2011 triumvirate influenza vaccine.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart Pharmacy's more than 900 walk-in flu clinics will be open through Nov. 15 for customers looking to purchase a seasonal flu vaccination.

ATLANTA The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still is recommending people who have not yet gotten their H1N1 flu shots that they do so. H1N1 vaccine is widely available, CDC officials noted.

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, the CDC that H1N1 has “not gone away,” with regional activity still being reported throughout the southeast, most notably in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Hospitalizations attributed to H1N1 have been on the rise for three consecutive weeks.