Sept. 24--Unlike last flu season, people will need just one shot to protect themselves against seasonal and H1N1 flu this time around, health officials say.
That's because the three strains of the flu that this season's vaccine will protect against include the H1N1 virus that caused widespread illness last season, as well as an H3N2 virus and an influenza B virus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last year, people had to get a shot for the seasonal flu and a separate shot for the H1N1 flu.
Also new this flu season is the CDC recommendation that everyone six months and older get the vaccine.
"The thought at this point is everybody benefits from universal vaccination," said Dr. Greg Stern, Whatcom County health officer.
Flu usually occurs in the U.S. in fall and winter, generally peaking in February.
The annual vaccine protects against the three strains that health officials expect to be circulating that particular season.
The H1N1 strain -- at first known as swine flu -- that surfaced in 2009 was new and spread worldwide, becoming the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years, the CDC said.
More than 12,000 flu-related deaths are believed to have been caused by the H1N1 flu in the U.S.
Meanwhile, seasonal flu-related deaths ranged from an estimated low of 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people a year in the 30 years ending in 2006.
In response to the H1N1 pandemic, public officials in Whatcom County and elsewhere encouraged people to get their flu vaccines -- for that year's seasonal flu viruses and the new H1N1.
The push hit a snag, though, when manufacturers took longer than expected to make the vaccine. That, in turn, required public health officials to prioritize who could first get the vaccine.
Supply didn't catch up to demand until early December, which is when essentially anyone in Whatcom County who wanted the H1N1 vaccine could get it.
The good news for consumers on the cusp of this flu season is that there's expected to be plenty of vaccine, and it's already readily available.
"Most of the vaccine companies were able to get it out earlier," said Alice Simmons, a public health nursing supervisor for Whatcom County Health Department.
That's the message from other health officials as well.
"We have a ton of it," said Steve Aubert, pharmacist at the Barkley Haggen pharmacy. "We've had it all since August so why not get going? It covers the whole season."
Aubert said the pharmacy hasn't yet seen a heavy surge from those seeking the vaccine, while Ruth Lang with Hoagland Pharmacy said it's been busy already.
"I see a big difference this year as opposed to other years," said Lang, who runs the pharmacy's immunization program. "The whole H1N1 saga has really created more of an interest and more of an awareness."
Before this season, she said there was little interest in the flu vaccine until October or November.
Other pharmacies and locations already offering the vaccine include Walgreens, Fred Meyer, Safeway and Haggen Fairhaven Market.
Additional locations include area senior centers.
Caused by influenza viruses, the flu is a respiratory illness that spreads easily from person to person through coughs and sneezes.
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FIND FLU SHOTS
A current list of pharmacies and other places offering the seasonal flu vaccine is available online at co.whatcom.wa.us/health. Click on "Seasonal Flu Clinic Schedule" on the left.
The Whatcom County Health Department will add to the list as information becomes available. Check with your doctor's office and pharmacy as well.
More on the vaccine and flu is online at:
--cdc.gov/flu
--flu.gov
--doh.wa.gov
Reach KIE RELYEA at kie.relyea@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2234.
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