Mar. 8--SUNDAY MARCH 7, 2010
Bennington -- Vermont Health officials praised their response Thursday to the recent Swine Flu outbreak.
With cases of the much maligned flu strain, known as H1N1, receding, state and federal officials are now reviewing their response, but are being careful to note that the virus is still circulating.
'Flu is not over'
"The flu is not over in Vermont. People are still getting ill with H1N1 and we encourage every Vermonter to get vaccinated," Vermont Health Commissioner Wendy Davis told reporters Thursday.
The outbreak has claimed the lives of three Vermonters, Davis said, all of whom were adults with serious underlying medical conditions. A total of 149 people were hospitalized for an extended time across the state.
Numbers detailing exactly how many Vermonters were infected with the virus are not available because lab testing is performed on just a small subset of cases.
"The majority of people who have flu-like illness are never tested," said State Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso.
Davis said Vermont reported a peak presence of flu between mid-October and early December to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Davis hailed the state's massive vaccination effort Thursday, saying about 196,000 Vermonters had received vaccines, either by shot or nasal spray, through the end of February. About 75,000 of those vaccinated against the H1N1 virus were school-aged children. The total
number vaccinated represents about a third of the state, she said.
"This is a monumental achievement," Davis said.
By comparison, neighboring New Hampshire had vaccinated about 300,000 people, or about 23, percent, according to Davis.
The vaccination effort was not without challenges, however, Davis said. The state was supplied with a limited amount of vaccine during the virus' peak, she said.
"It certainly would have helped things to go more smoothly had we been able to obtain more vaccine," Davis said.
However, an early focus on prioritizing the most vulnerable Vermonters served the state well, according to Davis. She praised state and local school officials for successful school-based vaccination clinics.
So was the swine flu scare overblown? "The answer is simply, 'no,'" Davis said. "Flu is not a virus to be taken lightly."
"I was extremely concerned at the outset. I just never take influenza lightly," she said. "It's just so unpredictable in terms of the type of illness it causes, the severity of illness."
Kelso said the World Health Organizations is reporting a strong wave of H1N1 circulating in Asia and Europe. Vermont has tens of thousands of vaccines available on hand and can order more if necessary, she said.
Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com
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