Flu Vaccine

Flu Vaccine

Introduction and Background

Seasonal influenza infection occurs every year and can be a threat to the population. It has been show that one of the most effective ways to prevent the seasonal influenza infection is by vaccine. The purpose of the influenza vaccine is to prevent and control influenza (Rakich et al., 2010). The influenza vaccination process is targeted at vaccinating specific populations deemed at risk rather than the entire population. Therefore herd immunity is not an objective in this case (Rakich et al., 2010). Vaccination is beneficial for risk groups including those aged 65 years old and over, health care workers and in pregnancy for the benefit of the new born child. For children, vaccination may be beneficial for people in the area, of all ages, who are not administered the vaccine

Objectives

Recognise advantages of the influenza vaccination in community pharmacy that may be beneficial to the patient.

Recognise disadvantages of the administration of influenza vaccine in community pharmacy.

Identify future recommendations for vaccinations in the community pharmacy setting.

Review pharmacists' opinion of providing immunisations of influenza vaccine in the community pharmacy.

Literature Review

An estimated 15,000 pharmacists and student pharmacists had been trained in vaccine expertise by the year 2004 and so to date immunisation through vaccination by a pharmacist is widely acknowledged and accepted.

Pharmacists are preferred in some respects as immunisers due to the longer opening hours of a pharmacy and because there is a larger number of pharmacies in a community compared to other immunisation providers. Pharmacies are more accessible in areas where medical centres may not be abundant. This shows that vaccination in the pharmacy setting will eliminate any problems associated with proximity to immunisers. Pharmacist vaccinations have been recommended due to their accessibility in “difficult-to-reach populations” (Rakich et al., 2010). It has also been conveyed that there ...