Snohomish county hospitals, clinics race to prepare for flu season

EVERETT — Hospitals, clinics, and public health officials in Snohomish County have been working all summer to prepare for the upcoming flu season, facing the problem of how to dispense two different types of flu shots.

The first round of shots will be for seasonal flu. That vaccine is expected to be widely available at pharmacies and clinics in early October. Health officials recommend this shot for just about everybody, from infants to seniors, and there’s expected to be plenty of supply.

But after the worldwide outbreak of swine flu that began this spring, which has killed two people in Snohomish County and nearly 600 nationally, manufacturers have rushed to develop a vaccine for it, too.

Just last week, Washington State University officials said more than 2,000 students were sickened by swine flu during the first two weeks of classes on the Pullman campus, though none required hospitalization.

The first shipments of swine flu vaccine, about 40,000 to 80,000 doses, are expected to arrive in Snohomish County late next month, said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District.

If the vaccine arrives on time, “we’ll have our hands full to ensure it is in all the right places at the right time,” Goldbaum said. “There will be many more sites that would like to have the vaccine than it will be possible to distribute it to.”

Planning is not yet finished, but the vaccine likely will be available at hospitals, larger clinics, chain pharmacies and the health district, Goldbaum said.

Ultimately, some 180,000 doses could be shipped to the county, he said.

But if federal health officials recommend each person get two doses of the vaccine, as is now expected, that means there would be enough for about 90,000 people, he said.

Adding to the logistical problems is the question of who gets it.

Unlike the seasonal flu vaccine, the H1N1 vaccine is targeted to specific groups, those most likely to become seriously ill or die from contracting swine flu.

Priority for this shot is being given to pregnant women, children and adults between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people who have contact with children under 6 months of age.

Health care and emergency workers, such as police and firefighters, also are eligible to get the shot.

The Snohomish Health District began its flu planning in July, bringing together public and private health clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and insurance companies.

“It’s been a phenomenal amount of coordination by the Snohomish Health District,” said Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, who oversees influenza issues at The Everett Clinic and is a member of the health district’s influenza planning group.

Meetings have been held weekly to prepare for the vaccination campaigns, he said, and to help lessen what is expected to be public confusion on who gets what shot.

April Zepeda, a spokeswoman for The Everett Clinic, said she’s already heard some of this confusion within her own family.

Since there’s always been a push for seniors to get the seasonal flu shot, they thought they would be on the priority list for the swine flu shot too, she said.

“I had to say, ‘No, you’re not,’” Zepeda said. “I think it will take a little bit of work to get that message out to seniors.”

A special countywide influenza hotline is expected to open in the next few weeks to answer questions from the public, just as was done in the spring with the outbreak of swine flu, Goldbaum said.

Health officials also are identifying possible sites where so-called mass vaccination clinics might be held if the virus arrives sooner than expected.

Although there will be a series of swine flu shipments, overall supply is expected to be adequate for those who want it — if you’re on the priority list, Tu said.

Swine flu vaccine has one other factor that makes it different from adult seasonal flu shots: Federal officials are expected to recommend that each person get two doses of the vaccine, about one month apart.

Questions already are being raised over the safety of the hastily developed swine flu shot, since some patients developed Guillian-Barre syndrome, which can cause at least temporary muscle weakness and paralysis, after getting a shot for a different type of swine flu in 1976.

“We don’t have any reason to believe the vaccine will pose a threat to people,” Goldbaum said.

The health officer said he knows that there are rumors circulating about the vaccine — that it is untested and it carries a high risk of side effects.

“The public really needs to approach concerns about the vaccine cautiously,” he said. “I’m going to encourage people to take the vaccine.”

Tu agreed. Manufacturing processes have changed since the problems caused by the flu vaccine of 1976, he said.

Although it’s possible someone could have a vaccine reaction, “I think the chances of that are incredibly low,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.

Seasonal flu shots

Public health officials recommend them for the following groups: