H1N1 vaccine supplies tight

Supplies of the vaccine to ward off the swine flu virus remain tight in the Mid-Valley, with the limited stock mostly limited to higher-risk candidates.

Health directors in Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties say private doctors remain the best bet for those seeking immunization against H1N1, the virus at the heart of the new influenza strain. Two Yuba County adults have died from the disease, or its complications, since Thursday.

"There's very little notice when the (next shipments) will come and the health providers just don't know," said Judy Mikesell, nursing director for the Sutter County Public Health Department. "It's a difficult situation for everybody and people are upset about it."

Sutter and Colusa counties have not set up immunization clinics for the H1N1 vaccine due to small stocks of the vaccine, leaving residents to receive it from private doctors or individually at county clinics. Also, Sutter County has canceled a Nov. 14 clinic to provide the regular, seasonal flu vaccine for lack of supply, Mikesell said Monday.

The only local swine flu vaccination clinic scheduled this month is slated for Yuba County from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 14 in Linda.

The county's Health and Human Services Department has a very limited supply of H1N1 vaccine and will restrict doses to those at higher risk for the disease, including pregnant women and children ages 5 to 18 with asthma, cystic fibrosis and other respiratory ailments, according to Val Spooner, director of nursing. Children younger than 5 will not receive the vaccine because the county's supply is all in the injectable form rather than the nasal spray version.

Those restrictions also apply for those seeking vaccinations in Colusa and Sutter counties. Health care workers also are eligible to receive the vaccine, though most are expected to receive it from their employers instead.

Shipments of vaccine to California's 58 counties are based on population size, meaning later deliveries to many rural counties, according to Mike Sicilia, spokesman for the state Department of Public Health. He predicted supplies would increase throughout November as the agency receives another 7.3 million doses to follow the 2.7 million already distributed.

VACCINATION

Yuba County’s Health and Human Services Department will host a walk-in clinic to provide limited quantities of the H1N1 flu vaccine on Nov. 14 at the department building, 5730 Packard Ave. in Linda. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to noon or when supplies are exhausted.
Pregnant women, children and teens ages 5 to 18, relatives and caregivers of babies 6 months and younger, and health care workers are eligible to receive the swine flu vaccine.

The H1N1 vaccine comes in injectable and nasal spray versions, with the latter not recommended for children younger than 2 or pregnant women. Children younger then 10 should receive two doses three weeks apart, while one dose suffices for older patients.

PROTECTION TIPS

Precautions to avoid contracting or transmitting flu viruses include:
* Frequent handwashing and use of hand sanitizers
* Avoiding touching the face and mouth
* Keeping at least 8 feet away from people showing flu-like symptoms
* Using one’s sleeve rather than the hand to cover sneezes, to avoid passing the virus to others
* Patients (and those living with them) wearing facial masks for up to a week after the onset of flu symptoms
Patients with discolored lips or digits, labored breathing, or frequent vomiting or diarrhea should call a doctor for possible H1N1-linked disease.

VISITING PATIENTS

Fremont-Rideout Health Group has barred children 14 and younger from visiting patients at its facilities, and limited patients to two visitors without flu symptoms, to limit transmission of the swine flu virus.

MORE INFORMATION:

Yuba County: 749-6366; www.co.yuba.ca.us/Departments/HHSD/Public%20Health/
Sutter County: 822-7515; www.suttercounty.org/news/index.aspx?item=400
Colusa County: 458-0380
Butte County: 866-444-2405; buttecounty.net/publichealth/cder/influenza.html
California: 800-978-3040; www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/SwineInfluenza.aspx
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: www.flu.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

Sources: National Institutes of Health California Department of Public Health, Fremont Rideout Health Group

Contact Appeal reporter Howard Yune at 749-4708 or hyune@appealdemocrat.com.