MAHONING, SHENANGO VALLEYS Heath agencies ration flu vaccine

A larger shipment is expected to arrive by the end of November.
By DENISE DICK
and TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
In a situation similar to last year, health departments in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys are rationing their flu vaccine supplies because they have received only a portion of what they ordered.
The Trumbull County Board of Health has ordered 2,400 doses and received about 27 percent.
"We are expecting a larger shipment by the end of November," said Selene Layton, director of nursing.
The first flu shot clinic is set for Oct. 31, with others planned through mid-November.
None yet: Girard Health Department hasn't received any vaccine as yet, but expects 50 percent in a couple weeks when it gets its first shipment.
The first round of vaccines throughout the Valley is restricted to people 65 and older or those with chronic illnesses.
Last year, local health departments weren't certain they would get their full allotment because of manufacturing delays.
"We're getting the vaccine out to the locals as soon as we get it from the manufacturer," said Randy Hertzer, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health.
The Pennsylvania Health Department has received 60 percent of this season's vaccine doses and sent them on to county health centers, according to Richard McGarvey, a department spokesman.
Local centers, such as those in Lawrence and Mercer counties, are to get the remaining 40 percent in November and December.
An improvement: McGarvey said supplies are better this year than in 2000, when Pennsylvania didn't see any vaccine until November and December and was still getting shipments as late as January.
In Pennsylvania, the state only supplies doses for those 65 or older and those with chronic health problems.
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta added people ages 50 to 64 to the groups recommended for annual vaccination.
Prices prohibited the Ohio Health Department from expanding its program. The price has nearly doubled from $2.37 per dose last year to $4.49 this year, and ODH wasn't able to buy as much as it had planned. The 1999 price was $1.89 per dose.
Hertzer said the department still will supply as much of the vaccine to local departments as it did two years ago.
Diana Colaianni, director of nursing at the Mahoning County District Board of Health, said that the department has received about 37 percent of the 6,000 doses it ordered for the year.
Next clinic: The first vaccination clinic was conducted last week. A second is planned for Oct. 26 at the Boardman Township Government Center.
"We get about 10 calls per day from people who are anxious to get them," Colaianni said.
She said three companies manufacture the vaccine, but one of them hasn't gained approval of its current stock from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Colaianni said the Mahoning health department called the manufacturer from which the state buys its vaccine and the company is not prepared to sell more than they've committed to.
McGarvey suggests it's taking longer to grow this year's strain.
Youngstown City Health District, meanwhile, has 40 percent of its order, according to Wayna Hightower, director of nursing.
Flu season typically runs from December through March and the CDC recommends vaccinations between October and November. It takes 10 days to two weeks for the body to develop antibodies to fight the illness.
The vaccine works for up to six months.
"You need to get a new vaccine every year because germs change and immunity wanes," Colaianni said.
Niles: The Niles Health Department has received about 27 percent of its order and plans its first vaccination Nov. 8.
Warren, which has about 40 percent of the 1,000 doses it ordered, plans its first clinic the same day, said Lynn Larentzos, director of nursing.
Columbiana County Health Department has administered its entire stock from the state, said Barb Knee, director of nursing, and more vaccine is expected by Thanksgiving.
"We'll schedule another clinic as soon as we get another shipment," she said.
Knee declined to say how many doses the department ordered but said it was the same amount used last year and was expected to fill the needs.
"There's no reason for anyone to panic," Knee said.