Physicians are no longer the only ones authorized to give flu shots.
Pharmacists and pharmacy students can as well.
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy students administered influenza vaccinations to the public for the first time Monday night at the Timonium Shoppers Food and Pharmacy, supervisedby certified pharmacists.
In 2004, Maryland joined a nationwide trend following more than 40 states that have enacted legislation allowing pharmacists to give vaccinations, said Cynthia Boyle, director of experiential learning at the pharmacy school.
“This is something that everyone needs to work together on,” Boyle said. “Physicians alone can?t vaccinate all of Maryland.”
Marylanders have fallen behind many other states in getting the flu shot, she said. “We know Maryland residents aren?t optimally immunized. This is a convenient way to do it.”
In the United States, winter influenza epidemics can cause illness in 10 percent to 20 percent of people and are associated with an average of 36,000 deaths and 114,000 hospitalizations per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pharmacy students have been trained to know who may receive the vaccine, how to store materials and how to handle adverse reactions.
Pharmacists hope to expand their role in vaccinations to give other shots, Boyle said.
“We know influenza is serious, but it?s not the only vaccine-preventable disease,” she said.
The Virginia Legislature allowed pharmacists to give almost any vaccine, said J. Bradley Thomas, Shoppers pharmacy district manager.
Timonium Shoppers ? part of the Supervalu Inc. grocery stores and pharmacies ? is offering flu vaccine clinics at several Maryland stores this month.
The vaccine costs $25 but is free to people enrolled in Medicare Part B plans, Thomas said.
“With this mild weather, people think they?re not going to get the flu,” he said. “It?s still out there.”
