HEALTH: Ounce of prevention

Anyone older than 6 months should be vaccinated for influenza, recommends the Center for Disease Control.

The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against the H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus. Last year, people had to receive separate vaccinations for seasonal flu and H1N1.

Flu vaccine doses should be readily available, said Kathy Dunn, Grand Forks County Public Health Department vaccine program coordinator. One hundred seventy million doses were manufactured this year, Dunn said.

“That should be plenty for those who want it.”

In North Dakota, there were 208,245 flu vaccines distributed to providers, as of Sept. 29. That’s 44 percent more than the 116,085 vaccines that were distributed as of Sept. 30, 2009.

Besides the traditional flu vaccine, this year, for the first time, there also is a higher-dose vaccine available for people aged 65 or older. The Fluzone high-dose vaccine contains four times as many antigens, Dunn said.

The Fluzone vaccine has been shown to give people higher antibody response, she said. However, because the vaccine hasn’t been tested in the general population, it’s unknown whether the vaccine will give people greater protection from the flu, she noted.

“The CDC recommends either” the traditional or Fluzone vaccine for people who are 65 and older, Dunn said.

School program

This year, the Grand Forks County Health Department also is offering vaccinations at public schools. The county health department, along with 25 others in North Dakota, including Cavalier, Griggs, Nelson, Traill and Walsh, have received flu doses that may be administered to kindergarteners through high school seniors.

The 30,400 flu vaccine doses, which are available in mist and shot form, were given by the CDC to North Dakota as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said Molly Sander, North Dakota immunization program manager. The North Dakota Health Department decided to use the doses for school influenza vaccination clinics. The doses were given as one-time funding from the CDC.

The Burleigh County (N.D.) Health Department already has started the flu vaccination clinics in its schools and other counties hope to hold theirs later this month.

The Grand Forks County Health Department will offer vaccinations to 8,500 students across the county, Dunn said. The county health department has distributed information to schools, which, in turn, should have sent them home with students.

The flu vaccines are free but there is a $13.90 charge for administrating them. That fee will be submitted to insurance companies or to medical assistance programs. If families don’t have the resources to pay for the administration fee, there will be no charge, Dunn said.

Other options

Grand Forks County residents also can get their flu shots at pharmacies, clinics and at the county health department. The Grand Forks County Health Department held a flu shot clinic Friday and another one is scheduled for Nov. 2, which is election day. Vaccination sites for the Nov. 2 clinic are at Valley Middle School and Schroeder Junior High. Voting is not a requirement for getting vaccinated.

The county health department also hopes to schedule a drive-through flu vaccination clinic in Grand Forks during the first weekend in December, Dunn said.

Reach Bailey at (701) 787-6753; (800) 477-6572, ext. 753; or send e-mail to abailey@gfherald.com.

Tags: flu vaccine, life, health, flu