Sept. 17--This year's seasonal flu vaccine is a single shot that will protect against three prominent strains of influenza -- including swine flu, which state health officials said Thursday will likely cause more illnesses this fall.
As flu season gets ready to rear its feverish head, state epidemiologist Gilberto Chavez briefed media Thursday on this year's new vaccine and the status of the flu in California.
Swine flu, technically known as H1N1, ratcheted up the anxiety level of the flu season last year because of a deadly outbreak in Mexico and the challenge public health officials faced in getting people to get two vaccines -- one for H1N1 and another for seasonal flu strains.
Chavez said health officials expect to see more illnesses due to H1N1.
Last year, the swine flu strain emerged too late to be included in the seasonal flu vaccine. As a result, an H1N1 vaccine was released after the seasonal vaccine.
This year's seasonal flu vaccine will protect against H1N1, as well as strains H3N2 and influenza B -- both of which have already shown up globally in 2010.
At a news conference Thursday at California Department of Public Health offices on Capitol Avenue, Chavez and other health officials cautioned that flu vaccinations need to be renewed every year. They also recommended that anyone older than 6 months get immunized.
It takes two weeks for the body to build up immunity to the flu following vaccination.
"So CDPH recommends that you get vaccinated now," Chavez said.
"The good news is that there will be plenty of vaccines throughout the state and throughout the nation," he said.
CDPH has purchased 865,000 doses of flu vaccine. An additional 1.75 million doses will be made available through the Vaccines for Children program and by local health departments.
Vaccines also are available at pharmacies, clinics and through health care providers.
Dr. Glennah Trochet, Sacramento County's public health officer, said the swine flu scare last year may manifest itself this year in more people going to get vaccinated.
"What I'm hoping is that because people have heard so much about H1N1 and the flu last year, that the habit of getting vaccinated is ingrained now and people will get the seasonal flu vaccine this year," she said.
Patients already were visiting the Molina Medical Group Norwood Office in North Sacramento to get flu shots Thursday morning.
Last year, the clinic gave out about 500 to 600 flu shots, including 175 in one day during a flu clinic, said clinic administrator Mattie McCalister.
This year, people are coming in for shots earlier, McCalister said.
State health officials also are urging Californians to get the vaccination for whooping cough, cases of which are being reported weekly in the state.
As of Sept. 4, 4,017 cases had been reported in California -- the most since 1955. Nine people have died -- all of them infants.
Children can begin receiving the whooping cough vaccine at 2 months, although it does not become fully effective until 6 months of age.
The best way for family members to ensure that newborns do not contract the disease is to get vaccinated themselves, said Mark Sawyer, professor of clinical pediatrics at the UC San Diego School of Medicine
"Our strategy to protect infants is to get everyone around them immunized," Sawyer said.
Health officials are calling the strategy "vaccination cocooning" -- surrounding newborns with vaccinated people.
Half of infants with whooping cough are infected by their parents, according to the California Department of Public Health.
To help combat the epidemic, the Sacramento City Unified School District's health services department is offering free vaccination clinics for whooping cough, as well as for the flu.
That the H1N1 strain is included in this year's seasonal flu shot will make vaccination an easier process for patients than it was in 2009, when the strain was not included in the vaccine, Trochet said.
"Any day you get one shot instead of two is a good day," she said.
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Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.
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