Welcome to Skagit County

October 11th, 2004

SKAGIT COUNTY FLU VACCINE SHORTAGE 2004-2005 FLU SEASON

Skagit County providers have only received a very small fraction of their usual number of doses of flu vaccine this year. There were only 2 companies producing flu vaccine. One company, Chiron, was making 48 million doses for the United States (half the Nation's supply). Their license was suspended by the British Regulatory Authority and they are unable to supply vaccine. We have been polling our hospitals, nursing homes, provider clinics, visiting nurse organizations and pharmacies and have found that we have less than 3,000 doses of vaccine in our county. To vaccinate our high risk population in Skagit County, according to the ACIP/CDC guidelines, we would need 30-40,000 doses. We are asking all businesses to only vaccinate high risk people and are encouraging them to collaborate with and contribute/sell the badly needed doses to the Health Department, so we can disperse them to our providers who need to vaccinate their high risk clients. This situation is in flux right now and there is no guarantee we will receive any more vaccine. We may be able to immunize only about 10% of the highest risk individuals in Skagit County, which will possibly lead to more hospitalizations and death.

CDC, Washington State Department of Health and Skagit County Public Health personnel are doing all they can to maximize availability and to equitably distribute the vaccine to the providers in our community. The providers are better able to determine who in their practice is of the highest risk in the high risk categories and begin vaccinating them as soon as we can distribute the vaccine to them. If and when more vaccine is received, we will continue to distribute it to our local providers. No flu vaccine will be given at the Health Department.

The following list includes those who should be prioritized to receive flu vaccine first according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/ACIP:

All children aged 6-23 months old. This vaccine should be available at your doctor's office beginning 10/18.
Adults aged 65 and over
Persons aged 2 yrs - 64 with underlying chronic medical conditions
Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
Children 6 months - 18 years on chronic aspirin therapy
Women who will be pregnant during flu season
Health care workers with direct patient care
Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children under 6 months of age

We are asking the healthy members of our entire community to defer vaccine at this point so we can vaccinate as many high risk clients as possible!!! If you are high risk, we are aware of the following private businesses continuing to offer flu vaccine at these times:

Walgreen, Anacortes - Saturday, 10/9 - 9AM-12 Noon
Albertson's, Mt. Vernon - Saturday, 10/9 - 10AM-2PM
Costco (members only) - Tuesday, 10/12 -10AM-2PM
Rite Aid, Mt. Vernon - Wednesday, 10/13 (time unknown)
Mt. Vernon Red Apple - Monday, 10/18 - 12 Noon-6PM
Please check the following websites for other locations and times:
www.findaflushot.com or www.getaflushot.com

To reduce the incidence and severity of influenza in our community, we recommend the following "Best Health" Practices:

Wash hands frequently using warm water and soap.
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing and wash hands immediately after. Carry tissues to cough and sneeze into and dispose of them properly.
Stay at home when ill with fevers, headache, cough, chest congestion. Do not send children to school when they are ill.
Do not frequent places where large crowds may congregate when ill. If you do, minimize the amount of time spent there or wear a mask.
Do not visit clients in nursing homes or hospitals during flu season unless you are immediate family and are well.
When visiting a doctor's office, only the ill person should enter unless s/he needs assistance from someone. Follow the precautions each facility recommends at entry.
Purchase and use hand sanitizers (alcohol-based). Carry them in your pocket or purse to cleanse your hands when restrooms aren't available.
Frequently clean surfaces with an antimicrobial solution. An easy, cheap and safe solution to use is bleach (example: mix 1 TBSP bleach with 1 quart of water and put in spray bottle. Change it frequently. You can also put 1 TBSP of bleach in your dishwater.
If ill with flu, contact doctor within 48 hours of onset of illness as antiviral medications can be ordered.
Get lots of rest.
Don't share things like cigarettes, towels, lipstick, lip gloss, eating utensils, pop, etc.

The Health Department, in cooperation with the emergency rooms, labs and doctors' offices, are increasing surveillance for the flu. Public Health will alert you as soon as we know the flu has hit our community.
Questions? Please call the Health Department at 336-9477 and ask for Maryl, Sandi or Amie.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION IN MAKING SKAGIT COUNTY AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE DURING THE FLU SEASON!!!