Boone County out of flu vaccine
Published Dec. 12, 2003
Coughing, aches, pains, headaches and fevers.
The influenza season has begun, and an early outbreak of the virus is concerning experts and causing a shortage of the vaccine.
On Thursday, Tommy Thompson, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, announced that 100,000 more doses of the adult flu vaccine have been ordered and are expected to arrive by the end of the week.
The government also has ordered 150,000 additional doses of the pediatric vaccine for children under the age of two. Those should arrive in sometime in January, Thompson said. The vaccines will be distributed throughout the states based on population.
All states have reported cases of the latest influenza strain, said Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-four states ' including Missouri ' have seen widespread flu outbreaks, which, according to the CDC, means at least half the state is reporting cases of the disease.
"There is no evidence that this outbreak is worse than in years past," Gerberding said, "but the early outbreak is a concern."
The outbreak has prompted more people to get the vaccine, which has led to a shortage in some areas. The Columbia/Boone County Health Department has run out of the vaccine, public health manager Mary Martin said. The county has requested 100 additional pediatric vaccinations, which should be delivered by Jan. 5, she said. However, Martin said there is nearly an unlimited supply of FluMist ' another type of flu vaccine ' which is given by nasal spray instead of shots.
"It's different than the shot vaccine," Martin said. "It's a live vaccine so there are certain people who can't have it."
FluMist is not recommended for people under the age of five or over 50, and is not recommended for anyone with immune system problems.
To avoid getting the flu without getting the vaccine, Martin said typical hygiene and health-care precautions will help.
"Get more sleep than the usual college student gets," she said. "The good thing about the upcoming winter break is that people are more rested."
Martin said many mistakenly think that stomachache is a symptom of flu.
"There are absolutely no gastrointestinal problems associated with influenza," she said. "So if you're complaining of diarrhea, you've got something else."
Symptoms of influenza are fevers more than 101 degrees, muscle aches, dry coughs and headaches, Martin said.
"For most people flu is an annoying illness," Gerberding said. Most people, she added, can easily recover from a case of influenza.
Those who are most at risk for developing complications from the flu are children under the age of two, people over 65, women in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy and people with respiratory problems.
These groups, Gerberding said, will be given priority in the distribution of the remaining vaccines, as well as others in the immediate vicinity of those at high risk ' such as family members. So far, 11 children in the United States have died because of complications of the flu.
"We can expect ongoing shortages of the vaccine," she said.