Clark County may not get federal flu vaccines

David Kihara

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004 | 11:08 a.m.

Clark County may not receive any of the 10.3 million flu vaccinations being distributed nationwide by the federal government because it purchases its flu shots directly from the pharmaceutical company and not through the state, officials said Tuesday.

Clark County and Nevada state officials raised those concerns on Tuesday after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement earlier in the day saying that it will begin distributing the millions of doses of additional flu vaccine nationwide through the various states.

According to a plan outlined by the Center for Disease Control on Tuesday, states such as Nevada will receive "100 percent of any orders they had originally placed" under state and federal contracts to receive flu vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's distribution of the flu vaccine will begin "over several weeks through December and into January," the statement said. "We're doing everything possible to ensure that vaccine is distributed in a fair way and that it goes to those who need it most."

The vaccine is being supplied by the French pharmaceutical manufacturer Aventis Pastuer. In early October, Chiron Corporation announced that it could not supply vaccines to the United States because the British authorities were suspending its license. Chiron was scheduled to supply 48 million doses of flu vaccine to America.

Clark County does not go through the state when purchasing its flu vaccinations. Instead, it buys more than 30,000 vaccines doses from the pharmaceutical company through a third party in order to save almost $34,000 a year, Clark County health officials said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday night, it was unclear whether Clark County will receive any of the federal government's flu vaccine doses, said Bonnie Sorenson, the Clark County Public Nurse.

"Is the amount of flu vaccine we are going to get based on what the state regularly orders, or what the collective needs of the state are?" Sorenson said. "We just don't know if we are going to get any of the 10 million doses."

It is not uncommon for a county to purchase flu vaccines from a third party or directly from the pharmaceutical company, Sorenson said. Sorenson worked as the Public Nurse in Brown County, Wis., before moving to Clark County two years ago and placed the purchase order for Brown County, which bypassed the state of Wisconsin to save money on flu vaccinations.

Yet when unexpected problems arise, such as this year's nationwide shortage of flu vaccine, the entire system is thrown into confusion. She said Clark County has contacted the Nevada State Health Division to ensure that Clark County -- which accounts for about 70 percent of the state's population -- receives some of the vaccine being distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But by Tuesday night she had yet to receive a definitive answer.

The Nevada State Health Division is just as in the dark as the Clark County officials, said Martha Framsted, public information officer for the Nevada State Health Division.

"It is unclear at this point" whether Clark County can get any vaccines, she said, adding that it is an issue that the state concerned about and is working on fixing.

Today, officials from the Nevada State Health Division's immunization program will talk with their federal counterparts, the Association of Immunization Managers, to discuss how many doses of the flu vaccine Nevada will receive, and whether Clark County will receive any doses, she said.

Nevada health officials are also meeting with representatives from Aventis to discuss obtaining enough vaccines for all of Nevada, Framsted said.

There are options for counties like Clark that do not normally go through the state to buy vaccines, officials said Tuesday. Under the CDC's distribution system, the states will receive all the vaccines they ordered from the CDC. This, according to the CDC, will account for about 3.1 million doses out of the 10.3 million doses available.

The remaining 7.2 million doses will be distributed according to needs of the states, the CDC stated. The CDC is looking at the number of high-priority cases in each state, the number of flu vaccination doses the state has already received and the states "unmet needs," according to the statement.

"While all of the nation's vaccine needs will not be met, this system is fair and will assure that remaining doses of vaccine get to those most in need," according to Richard Raymond, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, who is quoted in the CDC's statement.

It is still unclear whether Clark County will be able to access the remaining 7.2 million vaccine doses, said Fran Courtney, director of Nursing at the Clark County Health District. In the worst case scenario, Clark County would receive none of the CDC's 10.3 million doses and would revert to a "preventative" care program. This would include warning people against going to crowded areas and to stay home when sick.

This year, Clark County purchased 35,000 doses of flu vaccine, and has faced a shortage since Chiron's October announcement, Sorenson said. Although no county health official could state how many Clark County residents are in need of the flu vaccine, Sorenson said that Clark County residents are in dire need.

"We have had to prioritize priority cases," she said.

Clark County residents later this week will receive a much-needed shot in the arm in the form of approximately 4,000 flu shot doses from the Nevada State Health Division, Framsted said Tuesday. The vaccines are part of a prior order of 5,000 which is being re-directed through the state by the CDC. The 5,000 vaccines were originally set to arrive in Nevada in the first week of November.

Clark County will receive the majority of the vaccines, and Washoe and the rural counties in the state will receive the remaining 1,000 vaccine doses, Framsted said.

Despite these new vaccines, officials in Clark County are worried that it is still not nearly enough for the residents of Clark County.

"With 1.6 million people that's a drop in the bucket," Sorenson said. "That's just a pittance of what we need."

The vaccine will likely be distributed through primary care givers and health care providers, Framsted said. She advised that anyone who wants a vaccine should contact their health care provider.