Last weekend, while flying through Chicago's O'Hare airport, I saw something new: a kiosk offering flu shots. Right there on the concourse.
Then I saw
this from USA Today's travel section:
Flu shots on the fly, even priced a bit higher than pharmacy flu shots, turned out to be a big hit with travelers. Convenience was the big factor. "Last year," says O'Hare's UIC Medical Center director Dr. John Zautcke, "we gave more than 5,000 flu shots. This year, we expect to give close to 6,000 vaccinations. So it's clear that it's a good thing to do."
It's such a good thing to do that the service is spreading. Last year, travelers could get flu shots in or near a dozen or so airports stretching from New York to San Francisco. This year, the list of airports already hosting flu shot kiosks, or planning to start doing so shortly, has expanded to about two dozen. Included are Des Moines International, Cleveland Hopkins, Louisville International, Memphis International and Akron-Canton. Some airports are hiring outside companies to operate and staff the flu-shot kiosks, others are partnering with local hospitals or health departments. And at least two airports are once again planning to offer flu shots for free.
Last January, the San Diego International Airport partnered with a local non-profit organization, the Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP), to offer free flu and pneumonia shots to travelers, airport employees and anyone who stopped by. During the one-day event, more than 600 people got vaccinated. ... They'll do it again — on Jan. 16.
Free flu shots, about 2,000 of them, will also be available in Phoenix, at the Sky Harbor International Airport from Jan. 26-30.
The USA Today story has a chart on when shots are available at airports.
While I am on the subject, I have to pass along an admonishment from my old friend Dr. Mona Khanna, medical editor of
icyou.com. She dropped me a note reminding journalists that the flu "shot" is only one way of getting vaccinated. There is another story worth telling. She writes:
The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has mounted an aggressive campaign to make sure that more people than ever get vaccinated against the flu.
The flu shot is just one way people get vaccinated. The
FluMist is the other; and it is not a shot. It is more restrictive than the injection; nonetheless, it is still a viable option for most not-at-high-risk people and it should not be ignored nor unreported. For people who shun shots for various reasons, it is a manna from heaven.
explaining why people should get a vaccination, how vaccines are developed and who needs the vaccine the most.
Learn more about FluMist here.
Just my personal experience... I got a flu shot at...
