King County Executive Ron Sims gets his flu shot from Betsy Hubbard, Public Health Nurse.

"This year there is plenty of flu vaccine and no delay, so everybody should get their flu shots to reduce the chance of becoming ill. Flu shots are most important for those at risk of complications if they get influenza and for those who live, work and are in contact with high risk persons," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County.

"The flu shot is safe and has great benefits for the whole community," said Carolyn Edmonds, chair of the King County Board of Health and King County Councilmember. "I thank Public Health for providing this service to the residents of King County."

Persons at high risk for influenza-related complications who should receive a flu shot include:

• everyone 6 months and older with chronic diseases of the heart, lung or kidneys, diabetes, or immunosuppression including HIV infection
• all people age 50 or older
• residents of long-term care facilities
• children (6 months -18 years of age) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy
• pregnant women who will be past their third month of pregnancy during flu season

Health care workers, especially those in long-term care facilities, should also be vaccinated to help protect the high-risk patients for whom they provide care.

A flu shot is also strongly encouraged for:

• healthy children 6 through 23 months of age, their household contacts and out-of-home caretakers
• persons traveling to the Southern hemisphere between April and September or to the tropics at any time of year, and students and staff at schools and colleges

Influenza is a highly contagious illness causing an average of 36,000 deaths and 114,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States; pneumonia is the most common complication in high-risk groups. Influenza, unlike the common cold, has a swift onset of severe symptoms beginning with two to seven days of fever, headache, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, runny nose and sore throat, and a cough that is often severe and may last seven days or more.

Vaccine in two forms

Two flu vaccines will be available this year:

• The traditional injected flu vaccine, which contains inactivated (killed) virus, is licensed for anyone age six months and older. Serious side effects from this vaccine are extremely rare, and the vaccine cannot cause influenza. Some patients experience soreness at the injection site lasting less than two days.
• A newly-licensed live attenuated (weakened) virus vaccine that is sprayed into the nose (intranasal) is now available. The intranasal vaccine is licensed for healthy people age 5 to 49 years. Because it contains live virus that can be shed for an average of 8 days after vaccination, it should not be used for the high-risk groups who are recommended to receive the inactivated vaccine.

Where to go for flu shots and costs

Flu shots will be available at regular doctors' offices and clinics, at your nearest Public Health clinic, and through many health care providers at convenient locations throughout King County beginning in October. Some providers may have the live attenuated intranasal vaccine available; Public Health clinics will only offer the injection. Some providers may also have the live attenuated intranasal vaccine available. For information about Public Health clinic sites and hours, call the Public Health Hotline at 206-296-4949. For a list of other centers that offer flu shots throughout the county, visit: www.metrokc.gov/health/immunization/fluseason.htm

The federal and state funded Vaccines for Children program that subsidizes the cost of children's vaccines at most health care clinics now includes funding for flu vaccine for certain children in the following categories:

• all children from 6 - 23 months of age
• children from 24 months of age up to the 19th birthday who meet high-risk criteria
• children less than 19 years of age who are household contacts or caregivers of infants 0 - 24 months of age, or children with high-risk conditions.
• Families may want to check with their clinic or physician about this program

Flu and pneumococcal vaccines are covered by Medicare Part B. If you have Medicare coverage and belong to a managed care plan or HMO, you should go to your regular health care provider. If you do not have Medicare insurance, the fee for a flu shot at Public Health - Seattle & King County clinics is $20.00 and for the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine is $28.00, with a sliding scale based on income. Costs vary for flu and pneumococcal vaccines through other providers.

Other vaccines to update

Persons at high risk for influenza-related complications may also need immunization against pneumococcal pneumonia. This vaccine is given only once to most people, with a one-time revaccination recommended for people with certain medical conditions.

"This is also a good time to check your immunization record for the date of your last tetanus-diphtheria booster which you need every 10 years," said Betsy Hubbard, Public Health's Immunization Coordinator. Though the tetanus-diphtheria (or Td) vaccine was in very short supply in 2001 and 2002, now this vaccine supply has returned to normal, and providers should be recalling people whose doses were delayed.