Content about Influenza vaccine

SEATTLE — In an effort to help people in local underserved communities and students in need stay well this flu season, Bartell Drugs will give 4,000 flu vaccines to the University of Washington and Washington State University for use in pharmacy programs at both universities. Each school will receive 2,000 doses of the current flu vaccines to support local student pharmacy outreach programs.

CINCINNATI — In an effort to assure that its customers stay healthy this holiday season, Kroger is offering free flu shot vouchers to the Salvation Army and Feeding America, a leading domestic hunger-relief organization.

ATLANTA — In preparation for the National Influenza Vaccination Week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosted a press conference Friday afternoon to raise awareness around the universal need for people to be protected against influenza. “It’s a week that we typically highlight the importance of the flu vaccine,” Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters. During a typical season, he said, most influenza incidents begin picking up in December.

ATLANTA — For the week ended Nov. 20, influenza activity increased slightly across the Southeast while remaining relatively low throughout the rest of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

A total of 11 states reported no influenza activity for the period, the CDC reported.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — There currently are about 1,200 retail clinics and more than 100,000 certified immunizing pharmacists. Expect those numbers to rise steadily as other employers looks to mimic Citi's free flu shot card program -- and you can bet they will.

(THE NEWS: Citi's flu care card pushes employers toward lower-cost retail channels. For the full story, click here)

SAN DIEGO The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have signed with Brickfish to launch a social awareness program around the importance of getting the flu vaccine for the 2010-2011 flu season, Brickfish announced Tuesday.

The program, “The Flu Ends With U,” asks consumers for their help in creating public service announcements to assist in getting the word out via online and social media.

DEERFIELD, Ill. October sales at Walgreens rose 3.7% to $5.85 billion, compared with the same month last year.

The drug store chain reported that Duane Reade stores, which the company acquired in April, contributed 2.8 percentage points to the total sales increase for the month.

Calendar day shifts negatively impacted the drug store chain's comparable sales, as same-store sales dropped 1.3% and comparable-pharmacy sales decreased 1.6%, despite the fact that Walgreens' October pharmacy sales increased 2.5%.

DEERFIELD, Ill. Underscoring its determination to be the nation’s premier source of flu immunization services, Walgreens on Thursday revealed it is working with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases to educate the public and health professionals about flu prevention resources. In addition, Walgreens has joined with Families Fighting Flu, a nonprofit organization of families and healthcare practitioners, to heighten flu awareness and encourage vaccinations for children and families.

HOUSTON The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now is recommending that everybody older than 6 months of age get vaccinated for the flu, as the flu has begun appearing in various states and last year’s H1N1 flu is expected to appear again.

In response, RediClinic is offering two options for vaccination: the traditional injectable vaccine and a nasal spray version.

MAULDIN, S.C. A regional supermarket chain is kicking off two new health-and-wellness initiatives, just in time for the upcoming flu season.

Bi-Lo announced Friday a seasonal flu vaccination program at its pharmacies, as well as a new prescription discount card. The seasonal flu vaccinations will cost $30 and are available at a discounted rate of $27 for customers that present their My Bi-Lo BonusCard, the retailer said.