Sufficient supply of vaccines available, health officials say

Half of the flu vaccine ordered is here; the rest should arrive in November.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- There should be no shortage of flu vaccine this year, local public health officials say.
And people seem to have gotten that message, judging from the lack of long lines this year at a flu and pneumonia vaccine clinic Thursday at the Millcreek Community Center. Long lines and vaccine shortages plagued health officials and irked consumers during the 2004 flu season.
It was the first shot clinic jointly sponsored by the Mahoning County, Youngstown City, and Struthers City health districts.
The Youngstown Health District has received about half of the 3,000 doses of flu vaccine it ordered, said Wayna Hightower, nursing director.
Likewise, the county health district has obtained some 3,300 of the 7,300 doses it ordered, said Diana Colaianni, director of the nursing division. In 2004, the county dispensed about 7,100 doses, she said.
The rest of the doses slated for Mahoning County health departments are expected to arrive from the Ohio Department of Health in November, Hightower said.
ODH began sending the 240,000 doses it has for local health departments on Oct. 17. Wednesday's joint flu shot clinic, originally planned for Oct. 20, was postponed because health officials here were not certain the vaccine would arrive in time.
Just for high-risk people
The ODH-supplied vaccine is intended only for people at highest risk for influenza-related complications. They include adults 65 and older, children 6 to 23 months and people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, heart and lung disease, and women who will be pregnant during the flu season, which in Ohio is October through March.
It generally takes about two weeks after a vaccination for people to develop protection from the flu, officials said.
In addition to the 240,000 doses for local health departments, ODH will provide 100,000 doses for the federal Vaccines for Children program, which covers children on Medicaid, those with no insurance, those who are underinsured, Native Americans and Alaska natives.
Hightower said about 78 million doses of flu vaccine are available nationwide, and they are being produced by four companies, not just one, as occurred last year. Also available are 3 million doses of live vaccine, which can be administered only to healthy people between ages 5 and 49, she said.
Another joint flu clinic, sponsored by the county board of health and Struthers Health Department, will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at St. Nicholas Church, 764 Fifth St., Struthers.
alcorn@vindy.com