RSSSwine flu vaccine's here; who will get it?
Officials also worry about seasonal fluYakima Herald-Republic
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AP Poll Only half of people want swine flu shots
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- As the first small shipments of a nasal swine flu vaccine begin arriving in Yakima this week, health officials are trying to clear the air about who should get the vaccine first and whether there'll be enough to go around.
"One of the challenges is communication," state Health Secretary Mary Selecky said at a news conference Tuesday at the Yakima Health District.
Selecky, who was in Yakima for a state conference of public health professionals, said she is confident there will be enough vaccine in the coming weeks for everyone to combat the novel H1N1, or swine flu virus.
But she said everyone should also get a vaccine against the seasonal flu -- the garden-variety influenza that nonetheless kills 36,000 people every year. That vaccine -- in injectable form -- is already here and available at many local clinics and grocery stores.
The two different types of influenza affect populations differently. While the regular flu can take down the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, the novel H1N1 virus is particularly virulent for children and pregnant women.
"Two otherwise healthy pregnant women have died in our state from the swine flu," Selecky said.
The state is shipping the swine flu vaccine directly to providers who have placed orders with their local health district. Yakima will receive only 2,100 doses of the nasal version, called FluMist. The injectable version should begin arriving the week of Oct. 19.
The Washington State Department of Health has started radio and television ads in multiple languages to get the message out about the flu. The local health district in connection with Yakima's two hospitals will be rolling out its own media campaign, using a F.A.Q. or "frequently asked questions" format, to educate the public, said Health Administrator Dennis Klukan.
Some physicians are concerned that public perceptions of a shortage of the vaccine will discourage people from getting vaccinated. But Selecky said four vaccine-manufacturing companies are ramping up production.
"There will not be a shortage," Selecky said.
The U.S. government hopes to have 40 million doses of the vaccine distributed by late October and 190 million doses by the end of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials are also trying to dispel the notion that the swine flu is turning out to be relatively mild. While that's true in some cases, Selecky said influenza should never be underestimated.
"It is unpredictable. You can't tell what the flu will do to you," she said.
The nasal version of the swine flu vaccine is the live virus and recommended only for healthy children and adults up to age 49 as well as health-care workers. The injectable version will be a killed virus.
* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.
* Confused about the flu?
Contact: Yakima Health District, 509-249-6533 for English and 509-249-6511 for Spanish. At the end of a prerecorded message, there are other numbers to contact for a live human being.
* Nasal vaccine arriving this week
Target groups: Health-care workers, children over 2 years of age, and healthy adults who care for infants.
* Injectable versions arriving the third week of this month
Initial target groups: Pregnant women; people who live with an infant less than 6 months old; children as young as 6 months to adults 24 years of age; people aged 25-64 who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk for complications from flu.
* Regular seasonal flu vaccine
Already here. Contact your doctor or the health district for locations.
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