Flu shot guidelines to be set

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004 | 10:55 a.m.

The Clark County Health District is expected to announce today new priority guidelines for those who should get vaccinated against the flu this year in the wake of a nationwide flu vaccine shortage.

A news conference was set for 2:30 p.m. today at the health district's Shadow Lane offices to not only prioritize the most at-risk groups but also to announce how many doses the agency expects to have for those most in need.

Currently, the health district has about 9,000 doses, with more than two-thirds coming from private sources responding to the district's plea last Friday for groups to turn over doses so that the agency could set priorities for their distribution, health district spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

"There is no flu activity being reported locally and people are not now at risk," Sizemore said, noting that the district does not intend to begin its flu vaccine clinic until Monday.

"We have asked private groups, including pharmacies, to hold off giving flu shots so that we can set priorities for those most in need. Some said they could not because of contractual obligations and have begun giving shots."

While flu season is about to begin on the East Coast, it generally runs from mid-November through March locally, Sizemore said. For a flu shot to be effective, it must be administered about a month before exposure to the virus.

In response to the county's plea to boost the 2,500 doses of flu vaccine it already had in stock, the agency received 4,000 doses from the MGM-Mirage gaming company, which had planned to distribute them at a health fair, and 2,500 doses from the University Medical Center, Sizemore said.

Smith's pharmacies, which were to begin giving flu shots in Las Vegas on Friday, postponed their 32 planned clinics at the health district's request, Assistant Vice President Marsha Gilford said.

The company who administers the shots for Smith's was meeting with health district officials today to coordinate its efforts with the health district, Gilford said, noting the company hoped to be able to offer some vaccines.

About half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be delivered this year because Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, was unable to distribute any this season because of problems at its British production plant.

Chiron was to have made 46 million to 48 million doses of the vaccine for the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said.

The CDC's website recommends that existing flu vaccine supplies should be given to protect people who are at the greatest risk from serious complications from influenza disease, including:

Sizemore said that depending on how much flu vaccine is available locally, that list may be further reduced, at least until those most in need have been given an opportunity to get vaccinated.

The CDC is requesting that healthy people, ages 2 to 64, not get vaccinated this year or wait to get their shots until after people in priority groups have had a chance to be vaccinated.

The CDC says that some healthy people may use the nasal-spray flu vaccine known as FluMist. The agency recommends that product for those age 5 to 49 who are in contact with infants under 6 months. FluMist cannot be taken by pregnant women, the CDC said.

Instead of getting a flu shot, the CDC also recommends that healthy people:

The CDC also advises ordinarily healthy people who get sick from something other than the flu to keep their distance from others to protect them from getting sick. Healthy people who get the flu should stay home from work or school to help prevent others from catching their illness, the CDC says.

Sun reporter Jean Reid Norman contributed to this story.