It?s that time of year again: the weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and the leaves turn and fall from the trees. It?s also the beginning of flu season, and this year may prove to be a nasty one as the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga. reports a shortage of the flu vaccine for the 2004-2005 season.According to the CDC?s Web site, the Chiron Corporation notified the CDC in October that none of its influenza vaccine Fluvirin would be available for distribution in the United States. Because the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom, where Fluvirin is produced, has suspended the company ?s license to manufacture the vaccine, its release for this influenza season has beeen preventing.
Cutting through all the doctorspeak, this means that only about 58 million flu vaccines will be available in the U.S., thanks to contributions from other pharmaceutical companies. Sandy Schwartz, the supervisor of Immunization Programs at the Chester County Health Department, said that she wasn?t even sure if Chester County would receive any vaccines.
“The answer to whether we?re getting vaccines or not changes on a daily basis,” Schwartz said.
“Yesterday we were getting them, today we?re not. We did have a waiting list set up, but we stopped it because we don?t yet know if we?re getting any.”
If the health department was to get vaccines, those in high-risk groups would be given priority over other groups, mainly because these are people who can expect complications when getting the flu.
“When there is a shortage like this, you have to prioritize and attend to those who will really need the vaccine,” Schwartz said.
In this case, that includes people over 65, pregnant women, children who are 6-35 months, people with chronic health problems (such as diabetes or asthma), and primary care givers to those individuals.
What does this mean to the WCU community? According to Schwartz, the flu can be especially contagious when many people share a small area. “People are sharing a lot of things with each other, using the same items, and it can lead to the spread of the flu rather quickly,” Schwartz said.
However, there are precautions that can be taken to avoid getting sick this flu season. Both the CDC and the health department suggest that people stay home when they?re not feeling well, to avoid spreading germs. In addition, they also say people should cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, and should wash their hands often.
Schwartz adds: “Be sure to get plenty of sleep, and drink lots of fluids. It may sound like common sense, but students tend to overlook these things, and if your immune system becomes compromised like that, it can make you more susceptible to the flu.”
For more information about the flu vaccine and its shortage, visit the CDC?s Web site at http://www.cdc. gov/flu/about/qa/0405season.htm, or call the Chester County Health Department at (610) 344-6225.