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    Shapiro Administration Protects Public Health with Naloxone and Flu Vaccines at PA Farm Show

    Department of Health distributes more than 3,500 doses of naloxone and more than 650 flu shots during 8-day event.

     

    Vaccine confidence growing at the PA Farm Show, setting a 5-year high for flu shots given to attendees.

    January 21, 2026

    Harrisburg, PA – Furthering its mission to promote clear, science-backed guidance on vaccines and promote their effectiveness, the Pennsylvania Department of Health today announced the distribution of over 3,500 lifesaving doses of naloxone and more than 650 flu vaccinations during the 110th PA Farm Show last week; nearly double the number of flu shots given at the Farm Show just before Governor Josh Shapiro took office in 2023.

    “In addition to showcasing our agriculture industry, the PA Farm Show offers a chance every year for our medical teams and experts to provide clear evidence and information directly to the public about the proven benefits of vaccines and their important role in protecting public health,” said Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen. “It was great to see so many people stopping by the Department’s tent to pick up naloxone and get their flu shot as they strolled the Farm Show. Preventing overdose deaths and reducing the spread of flu helps people ensure healthy families and communities.”

    According to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Program Overdose Prevention Program — which provided the naloxone for this year’s Farm Show distribution — more than 11,400 opioid overdoses were reversed in Pennsylvania last year.

    The flu vaccine is updated annually to protect against new virus variants. Health care providers recommend that all residents six months and older get vaccinated against the flu.

    Although the number of flu cases fluctuates each year, the trend this year is like the past two flu seasons. So far this flu season, which started September 28, 2025, approximately 70,000 laboratory-confirmed flu cases were reported in Pennsylvania, and nearly 10,000 adults and more than 1,800 children were hospitalized with flu; 147 flu-related deaths were reported in Pennsylvania since September.

    “We had many couples and families come in together, telling us how much they appreciated being able to get the flu protection so conveniently because everyone’s life is just so busy,” said Department of Health Nurse Nellie Tran-McLaughlin, who helped administer flu vaccines during the Farm Show.

    In addition to naloxone and flu immunizations, the Department of Health provided other public health resources, including: radon test kits, CPR demonstrations, environmental health materials, Women Infants and Children (WIC) information, tick removers, and tickborne disease prevention guidance.

    More information about the current respiratory virus season is available on DOH’s Respiratory Virus Dashboard that is updated weekly between September and May.    

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