|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
December 20, 2003Vaccine supplies drying upIt's here a month early, likely hasn't hit peakByRecord-Eagle staff writer By Record-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Local health officials who usually dispose of excess flu vaccines at this time of year are out and waiting for more. "In other years, we worried about wasting vaccine by not using it all - that won't be the case this year," said Fred Keeslar, director of the Grand Traverse County Health Department. His office has distributed 3,000 doses of the vaccine through the department to local clinics and to doctors' offices. The county health department and several area clinics say they're out of the adult flu vaccine. Keeslar said some doses are still available locally for infants and children and some pharmacies also have the "flu mist" spray vaccine, designed to be inhaled. Adult vaccines are in short supply, but health officials said they aren't worried the flu bug will be more prevalent as a result. So far, it's been a typical flu season, though it started earlier than usual, said Kit Mikovitz, nursing manager at the Grand Traverse County Health Department. Influenza cases started showing up in northern Michigan last month. A January arrival is more typical. Health officials said seven cases of Type A influenza have been confirmed so far in Grand Traverse County. State health officials said more than 60 cases have been identified throughout Michigan, although the actual number is substantially higher because most people don't have the virus confirmed by a health care professional. West Shore Medical Center in Manistee has been hit hard by influenza cases, spokeswoman Adriane Dorais said. Emergency room visits this month are up 20 percent from last year. "It's because of all the flu patients we're seeing," she said. "We're on track to hit a record number of emergency department visits for the month of December." Joshua Meyerson, medical director of the Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency, which is based in Charlevoix and covers a four county region, said the season could get much worse before it's over. "We're seeing it spread throughout our community and I doubt we've seen its peak," he said. Adults who weren't able to get vaccinated can take steps to avoid getting the flu or spreading it, said Joan Wise, director of personal health services with Cadillac-based District Health Department No. 10. "Stay home when you're sick and if your child is running a fever don't send them to school," she said. "And when you cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and always wash your hands well." State officials said this week Michigan will get 2,000 more doses of pediatric flu vaccine in January. Keeslar said some additional adult vaccines are still being processed by the state and could be available locally sometime late this month or early 2004. This year's so-called H3N2 flu strain is considered by health experts to be more dangerous to young children because they haven't been previously exposed to that strain of the virus. The flu is blamed for the death of a 10-year-old Lansing girl this week, the first such case in Michigan, and for the deaths of 11 children in Colorado.
|
|
