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Flu vaccine ample; everyone's invited
Associated Press
Published September 20, 2007
WASHINGTON - After years of shortages and confusion, this fall promises plenty of flu vaccine to go around - up to 132-million doses, more than the nation has ever produced. The supplies have the government urging vaccinations not just for people at highest risk of dying from influenza, but for anyone who wants to avoid a week of aching misery. "Flu is a formidable foe," Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday. "It is not an illness we should be complacent about." But new CDC data show only a fraction of people who need flu shots the most get them, including just one in five babies and toddlers. And there's wide geographic variation in vaccination rates. Shots aren't the only option. Wednesday, the government ruled that it's safe for younger kids to try a nasal-spray vaccine called FluMist. Once only an option for people ages 5 to 49, FluMist now can be used by children as young as 2. Flu usually peaks in February, so a winter vaccination isn't too late. Still, Gerberding advised seeking vaccine early in case flu begins striking before the usual November. Indeed, there already are reports of sick schoolchildren in Hawaii, although the geographic distance makes it impossible to predict if that signals an unusually early flu season for the rest of the country. Perhaps of more concern, CDC is closely monitoring whether a new strain that emerged near the end of Australia's flu season will cause illness here - a strain that this year's vaccine doesn't specifically target. Get vaccinated anyway, Gerberding stressed. Each year's vaccine contains protection against three influenza strains, which should provide some cross-protection from other strains. Vaccination rates Estimated flu vaccination rates for the 2005-06 season. Italic indicates lowest rate; bold indicates highest rate. The 18-49 category applies only to those at high risk. State 18-49 50-64 65 and older D.C. 32.8 39.7 58.3 Florida 21.7 23.8 63.2 Nev. 19.3 31.9 58.8 R.I. 43.0 47.0 78.8 Nation 30.5 36.6 69.3 State 18-49 50-64 65 and older D.C. 32.8 39.7 58.3 Florida 21.7 23.8 63.2 Nev. 19.3 31.9 58.8 R.I. 43.0 47.0 78.8 Nation 30.5 36.6 69.3 Source: CDC
[Last modified September 20, 2007, 01:48:58]
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