Flu shots season begins for high risk people

Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

It's fall and that means the flu and flu shots.

Pierce County Health Department officials are recommending people get flu vaccines this year, beginning with the most at-risk population today, Wednesday, through Oct. 24.

Last year there was a critical shortage of vaccine due to contamination of supplies. Nigel Turner, Pierce County Health Department manger, said this year there should be no shortage.

&#8221The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is being very cautious,“ Turner said. &#8221They are asking the most high risk population to be vaccinated first, prior to Oct. 24. After that everyone can receive the vaccine.“

The CDC is also concerned about a pandemic outbreak of the avian flu. A pandemic is a global outbreak of a subtype of influenza virus that has not previously circulated in the human population.

According to the CDC, a virus subtype that already exists in the human population causes a seasonal outbreak.

A pandemic usually means a serious illness with high mortality rates.

The CDC reported on its Web site there is no vaccine at this time to combat the avian flu, known as H5N1, but research to find a solution started in April.

The flu shots the health department is asking people to get is to guard against a seasonal outbreak, but the vaccine will help fight an avian outbreak, according to Turner.

&#8221We want people to get their shots because there will be less influenza virus floating around in the population,“ Turner said. &#8221There is always a possibility of mutation of the virus. We want to keep the strains here from hooking up with the avian virus if it moves to the U.S.“

Turner said the department is setting up a plan to deal with pandemic outbreak.

&#8221The threat is not new,“ Turner said. &#8221But the health department is working on a plan for this specific pandemic.“

Ed Pullen, spokesman for Sound Family Medicine, said there is plenty of vaccine available at the Bonney Lake clinic.

&#8221Established patients can drop in at any time,“ Pullen said. &#8221We will have a flu shot clinic later when a number of nurses will be available. Basically we will have more resources for a whole bunch of people at the clinic.“

Pullen said the vaccinations are effective against four or five strains of the virus floating among the population.

&#8221Every year at the end of the flu season the CDC and the World Health Organization samples various flu viruses in the county,“ Pullen said. They make a best guess for the next year. If you make a vaccine against several strains it tends to be real effective.“

Flu vaccines are available at various sites around Bonney Lake beginning today for high-risk people. The cost of the vaccine is $28.

€ Sound Family Medicine, 19820 state Route 410 E.

€ Safeway Pharmacy, 21310 SR 410 E. 10 a.m to 4 p.m. starting today (Wednesday).

€ Albertsons Pharmacy, 20021 SR 410 E. 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25 and 10 to 2 p.m. Nov. 12.

€ Good Samaritan Mobile Health Unit will be at the Senior Center from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday offering vaccinations.

€ The health department will be offering free immunization for children ages 2 to 18 in the department's mobile clinic in the Safeway parking lot 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

For more information concerning the flu virus and vaccine visit the health department Web site at www.tpchd.org or the CDC site at www.cdc.gov.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.