Swine flu alert elevated as vaccine runs behind schedule

Although the beginning to Sonoma County’s normal flu season is
still a few weeks away, public health officials, hospital staffs
and doctors have already handled more than 300 H1N1 (swine flu)
cases here while launching the first public vaccine clinics last
weekend.
A few thousand people were vaccinated over the weekend by county
Department of Health Services workers, but future clinics may be
delayed or restricted as shipments of the flu vaccine are behind
schedule everywhere in the country.
There have been 10 confirmed H1N1-related deaths in the county
as the flu pandemic predicted by federal officials last April has
now spread to all parts of the country. The federal Center for
Disease Control has warned that the H1N1 epidemic could take
several million lives.
The new strain of flu, first named Swine Flu and now called
H1N1, is different in many ways from the garden-variety seasonal
flu that spreads every winter.
H1N1 flu began to spread during warm summer weather and is more
prevalent in younger and healthier populations than other flus.
“Most of us do not have any immunity from this new flu but
people over age 65 seem to have some kind of acquired immunity,”
Dr. Mark Netherda, of the county health department told a group of
Palm Drive Hospital health care workers this week.
The H1N1 flu is more dangerous to young people, age 6 months to
24 years, pregnant women and older adults with underlying medical
conditions.
Of the county’s 10 H1N1 fatalities all were found to have
complications from obesity, cardiac or diabetic conditions.
Shipments of the flu vaccine have been shortened and delayed,
although there were plenty of shots for the drive-through clinics
last weekend in Petaluma and Windsor.
The vaccine is being developed by five corporations under
federal contract and is available at no cost to health care
providers through the county health department.
“We are already past the peak of caseloads and reported cases
over our recent worst flu seasons,” said Dr. Netherda. And,
technically, our season really hasn’t started yet.”
The county’s DHS currently has almost 6,000 vaccine doses on
inventory, but a much larger promised shipment due next week may be
delayed.
The vaccine comes in two forms.  A live vaccine is administered
as a nasal spray and is usually reserved for small children. An
inactivated vaccine is given by injection. Both forms are grown in
chicken eggs.
If future shipments are delayed, Dr. Netherda said vaccinations
may be limited to more narrow targeted population of 72,000 county
residents in the most vulnerable groups listed above.
In the meantime, vaccinations for the other winter-time flus are
being made available as well. These more familiar flus are more
dangerous to the older population, just the opposite of the H1N1
illness. 
All health care workers are being urged to get their
vaccinations and young children should be given priority as well
because they need a second dose later, Dr. Netherda said.
“The vaccines are safe, the real risk is the flu,” Dr. Netherda
said. “There’s a very high risk that many people will get this flu.
It’s just that many people in the older population will not suffer
the worst cases.”
Like other flus, a high fever (over 100 degrees), coughing, sore
throat and general body aches are the most familiar symptoms.
“People that get it have said they feel like they got hit by a
truck with a very high fever another common denominator,” the
public health official said.
People with early flu symptoms are advised to watch their fever
and take  one of the non-prescription antiviral medications
recommended such as Tamiflu and Relenza.
“These drugs work best if taken within 48 hours of becoming
ill,” Dr. Netherda said. “They also have have some benefit even if
they are taken a little later.”
The federal CDC and county health office recommends that
patients consult directly with their physician, local health care
center or public clinic.
A series of free public vaccination clinics is now being
scheduled across the county. The clinics will require
self-screening to determine eligibility in one of the targeted
population groups, (very young, pregnant and those with compromised
health conditions.)
For more information visit the county health department’s web
site at www.sonoma-county.org/h1n1.