Flu Shot
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Current Status | Some formal standards but limited adoption |
| Potential Implementing Agencies | Federal, State and Local Health Agencies |
| Potential Founding/Sponsoring Organizations | Center for Disease Control (CDC) |
Analysis -- Future Potential and Adoption
Flu vaccinations contribute to overall positive public health. In addition to directly reducing flu illness, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that flu vaccinations can help to reduce frequency of visits to the doctor, missed days of work and school, and flu-related hospitalizations. It is important that the general public not only has access to flu shots, but can easily find the location of facilities that offers flu vaccinations.
Local public health officials typically aggregate information on the location of facilities that offer flu shots, but this information is not standardized or made available to the public via easy-to-use applications. Some cities, like Chicago, have developed applications that make the location data available to the public and standardized a data format for the location of facilities that provide flu shots. Other cities, like Philadelphia, are in the process of defining a standardized format.
The development of a standard data format will enable public health agencies to promote the use of location data in web applications and maps.
Additional Resources
- Chicago Flu Shot Clinic Locations, 2013, Standard Format - https://data.cityofchicago.org/developers/docs/flu-shot-clinic-locations-2013
- City of Philadelphia Flu Shot Spec - http://cityofphiladelphia.github.io/flu-shot-spec/