Community pharmacists throughout the nation stepped up in 2009 to administer hundreds of thousands of doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine and demonstrated the critical role pharmacists play in public health and the value they deliver to their patients. Pharmacy’s contributions have not gone unnoticed.

Recent reports from government agencies have come out examining the H1N1 influenza vaccination campaign to identify lessons learned and to provide recommendations to improve future emergency vaccination campaigns. In both reports, the contributions of pharmacists to the success of campaign are specifically cited.

• From Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: "Several study participants emphasized that the use of pharmacists, given their expertise in vaccinating and their ability to adhere to public health guidance, was important to implementing mass vaccination campaigns."
• For the future, the IOM suggests to public health authorities to "continue to engage with pharmacies and integrate them into vaccine and other countermeasure distribution and administration systems."

Providing immunizations to your community, whether or not a public health pandemic exists, establishes and reinforces the message that the pharmacy is a place to seek out and receive health care. Healthy adults should be reminded to get their flu shot to protect the unimmunized, especially infants who are too young to be immunized. Patients with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, children, the elderly and health care workers to get vaccinated against the flu. Pharmacists need to do their part too! A recent study by the University of Texas at Austin found only 75% of community pharmacists got their flu shot citing fear of adverse effects, perception of low risk for contracting flu, fear of illness from vaccine and other reasons including belief that the vaccine is ineffective. The influenza vaccine is safe and effective and the best way to prevent getting and spreading the flu. Fighting the flu is a shared responsibility. We ask you to join us in this fight to protect yourself and your community by getting the flu vaccine.