The Arizona
Department of Health Services today recommended that physicians and other
medical providers target their supplies of the influenza vaccine to
individuals at the highest risk of severe complications from the flu.
The recommendation follows guidance provided by the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday after an announcement that about half
of the nation’s supply of this season’s flu vaccine would not be
available.
Department of Health Services Director Catherine Eden said remaining vaccine
supplies should be targeted to:
- adults over age 65,
- all children 6 months
through 23 months of age,
- persons age 2-64 with
chronic health conditions, such as heart and lung diseases and
asthma and diabetes, and people with weakened immune systems,
- all women who will be
pregnant during influenza season,
- residents of nursing
homes and long-term care facilities,
- children 6 months-18
years of age on chronic aspirin therapy,
- health-care workers with
direct patient care, and
- out-of-home caregivers
and household contacts of children aged <6 months.
Eden said healthy adults
not in the targeted categories should forego vaccination this flu season.
“We’re asking healthy
adults to help us get through this flu season by forgoing vaccinations,”
Eden said. “This will allow this life-saving vaccine to get to those at-risk
groups who need it the most.”
The Department is closely
monitoring the supply of vaccine in Arizona, and has ordered through its
immunization program up to 164,000 doses for Medicaid-eligible, uninsured and
at-risk children. All of these doses were ordered through Aventis Pasteur,
which already has begun shipping the vaccine.
Healthy individuals age 5-49 this year may also use FluMist, the first nasally
administered influenza vaccine to be marketed in the United States. FluMist is
not approved for use in the high risk populations for which influenza vaccine
is most recommended. Additional information is available at www.flumist.com.
Dr. Karen Lewis, the Health
Department’s medical coordinator for emergency preparedness and response,
also stressed that residents take a few easy steps to protect themselves.
These include washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, and covering your
mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
She said people with
flu-like symptoms should stay home to avoid infecting colleagues or classmates
and added that parents should try to keep babies and young children away from
people who have flu-like illnesses.
Influenza is spread by
airborne droplets through coughing and sneezing, or by direct contact with
respiratory secretions. Flu symptoms may begin suddenly and include fever (101
F or higher), muscle aches, chills, cough, and/or sore throat.
Dr. Lewis cautioned against the use of aspirin and aspirin-containing
medications in children and adolescents with flu-like symptoms because of the
risk of Reye Syndrome, a rare and sometimes fatal neurological condition that
can follow a viral infection like the flu. Substitutes for aspirin include
medicines containing only acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, Tempra, or Panadol,
or products containing ibuprofen, such as Advil or Motrin. Many generic or
store brands contain these same ingredients. Antibiotics do not work against
viral infections such as the flu.
For information about where to go for flu shots, contact the Community
Information and Referral Hotline in Metro Phoenix at (602) 263-8856 or (800)
352-3792 for the rest of the state. You may also go to www.cir.org
for general recorded information about influenza season and protection
measures. |
