MAHONING COUNTY Reserve flu shots for those at risk, health officials urge

Washing hands often may be the best nonprescription flu preventive.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Local public health officials are urging residents who are healthy and not in high-risk categories to forgo flu shots this year because of a vaccine shortage.
They are also advising people to take common sense precautions to keep from getting or spreading the flu.
For example, Dr. Larry Frisch, Mahoning County Health District medical director, said one of the most important things people can do is wash their hands often. Bacteria and viruses are easily spread through touching, such as when shaking hands or kissing.
Dr. Frisch said people should sneeze or cough into the elbow of their sleeves rather than into their hands or the air, and advised people to try to prevent sick children from having contact with other children. Also, he said people should not go to work or out in public when they are sick.
What was originally billed as a flu season with an ample supply of vaccine has changed into one in which most health departments are limiting the vaccine to people in the high-risk categories -- the very young, very old or chronically ill.
The sudden and unexpected shortage occurred last week when British regulators stopped production of flu vaccine at Chiron Corp., a California company that makes flu vaccine in England, effectively cutting the United States' supply of flu shots in half.
In Pennsylvania, the state Department of Health has asked college health centers and other groups that purchased flu vaccine for low-risk people to voluntarily give their flu shots to organizations immunizing high-risk people.
The Ohio Department of Health has no plans for a similar action, said Kristopher Weiss, ODH spokesman.
Locally, neither the Youngstown City nor the Mahoning County health districts had made such a request.
In fact, Neil Altman, Youngstown City health commissioner, said he does not plan to screen for high-risk clients who come to his department's flu shot clinic.
The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the health department at 345 Oak Hill Ave. The cost is $10 for flu shots and $25 for pneumonia shots. There is no cost to Medicare Part B recipients if they don't have supplemental insurance or are a member of an HMO. Medicare recipients must bring their card.
"We'll immunize until we run out of vaccine. We would hope that people who are high risk would come and get shots. But I don't want to be the one who says we have medication but we can't give it to certain people. If I'm making a mistake, I want to err on the side of good public health," Altman said.
Also, Altman said, if a significant number of low-risk people in the community are immunized, it would benefit the high-risk people they come into contact with who can't come to the clinics for shots.
Mahoning restrictions
Conversely, the Mahoning County Health District will administer the vaccine only to people who have been identified by public health authorities as having a priority need for the flu shot, said Diana Colaianni, nursing director.
The Mahoning County flu shot clinics are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Old North Church, 7105 Herbert Road, Canfield; Oct. 26, Boardman Township Building, 8299 Market St.; and the Highway Tabernacle Church, 3000 S. Raccoon Road, Austintown. The cost is $15. People on traditional Medicare must bring their Medicare card.
Because of the vaccine shortage, some organizations that purchased flu shots have canceled or curtailed flu clinics. For example, Rite Aid canceled all flu shot clinics after Saturday, a corporate spokesman said.
In addition, Forum Health At Home will restrict vaccinations to adults considered at high risk for serious flu complications, at a scheduled clinic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Beeghly Medical Park, Building C, 6505 Market St., Boardman.
Dr. Frisch said there are medical alternatives to the flu vaccine. For some, the FluMist nasal spray vaccine may be an option.
Also, Dr. Frisch said there are several prescription medications on the market, called anti-virals, that if taken within 72 hours after contracting the flu, can make people a lot less sick. However, they are not approved for very young children, he said.