news story / By Heidi Walters

The Coming Flu

“We’re focusing on prevention efforts,” Lindsay said. “We expect up to 30 percent of our school age population could get sick if we don’t vaccinate.”

Lindsay said that the people who are getting sick from H1N1 at a higher rate, and who should get vaccinated, are pregnant women, young people ages 6 months to 24 years old, people who care for children under 6 months old (because those children can’t be vaccinated), health workers and people 24 to 64 years old who have chronic diseases such as lung and heart disease, diabetes and significant obesity.

The county public health department is expecting state and federal money to come in soon to help pay for the vaccination campaign and for laboratory work and monitoring of the virus. The first batch of vaccinations are expected to arrive at the end of October, and more shipments will come in the weeks following that. The vaccination is a two-dose procedure, and is taken in addition to the standard seasonal flu shot.

Lindsay said Public Health will hold vaccination clinics at its office for free. And there likely will be free clinics at other places convenient to the people who most need it, including schools — where Lindsay hopes parents will sign the consent forms for their children to be immunized — and at Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods because of the significant number of 18-24 year olds. As well, medical providers will have the vaccine, and perhaps pharmacies. Providers may charge an administration fee to insurance companies.

“And with the kids we’re hoping to use a nasal spray rather than a shot because that’s more palatable for kids,” Lindsay said. She added that, for those parents who fear a suspected (but recently refuted) link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, the county offers vaccines without thimerosal.

Lindsay said the swine flu outbreak — classified as a global pandemic — is the biggest thing she’s ever been involved with while working in public health.

“If you add up all the risk groups, there’s the potential that half the population of Humboldt County needs to be immunized — twice,” she said. “And that’s a huge, huge undertaking. And if we’re successful at vaccinating people, and also having people wash their hands and cover their cough and stay home when they’re sick, we can limit the impact in Humboldt County. So it’s a real challenge to the community, not just for Public Health.”

That last bit — covering your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, and washing your hands and staying home when you’re sick — bears repeating. Same goes for the seasonal flu. And, as for that, Lindsay recommends that those in the high risk categories also get the seasonal flu shot. It will be available in Humboldt County in September.

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