Community showing low interest in H1N1 vaccine

The H1N1 flu vaccine has been available to the general public in Bourbon County for a couple of weeks, but community response has not been as high as anticipated, local health officials said Monday.

"We continue to offer H1N1 vaccination without cost to the public to everyone that wants one, but the response from our community is low," Bourbon County Public Health Nurse Alice Maffett said.

Maffett said area residents may "have some reservations" about getting the vaccine which protects against the H1N1 pandemic flu strain that began cropping up in late April.

The vaccine is effective in preventing disease and is almost perfectly matched to protect against the target virus. New data also shows that the H1N1 vaccine is very safe, according to KDHE.

In a statement issued Dec. 14 by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas State Health Officer Jason Eberhart-Phillips said he believes that many people may be hesitant about getting the vaccine for the following three reasons:

* The H1N1 flu is not a serious enough disease to bother getting the vaccine. New analysis of the mortality associated with the novel virus suggest that it is about 100 times less lethal than the strain that caused the 1918 pandemic, with only one death occurring in every 2,000 cases. While this is true, the virus infects so many people that nearly 10,000 Americans have died from H1N1-related causes. Another 213,000 have been hospitalized, most of whom are much younger than those who typically suffer serious flu infections in a normal year.

"If you can avoid even a small risk of hospitalization or death from H1N1 flu with a single dose of a safe vaccine, what have you got to lose in getting immunized?," Eberhart-Phillips said in the letter.

* The epidemic is over, so immunization is not necessary. It is true that virus activity has dropped off sharply in Kansas and most other states since peaking in late October, doctors and hospitals are seeing significantly fewer patients with flu-like illnesses now, and absenteeism in schools and workplaces has returned to normal levels.

While the fall H1N1 flu wave is clearly over, many experts believe a third wave could occur in response to holiday travel and the return of millions of schoolkids in January. About three-quarters of Kansas residents have neither had the disease nor received the vaccine. That leaves about two million people susceptible to infection, more than enough to sustain a large third wave of infections.

"Why take your chances with a possible third wave?," Eberhart-Phillips said. "Every additional vaccine given now will reduce the odds of a serious re-emergence of the pandemic later this winter."

* People are unsure about the safety of the vaccine. It is true that the vaccine was licensed for use on millions of people after clinical trails could demonstrate safety on only a few thousand study participants. While there has always been a slight possibility that a rare, unanticipated side effect could emerge, it has not happened.

As of Dec. 4, nearly 64 million doses of vaccine have been distributed and fewer than 5,000 reports of possible adverse reactions had been reported to federal authorities. That is less than one-hundredth of one percent reporting a problem. Of those, all but 277 have been classified as "non-serious," such as soreness at the site of the injection.

Among the reports that could be considered serious health problems, no unusual events or patterns have emerged. The reported events do not appear to have a common cause and are most likely coincidental with vaccination, but safety monitoring continues, Eberhart-Phillips said.

"While no vaccine, or any medical intervention, is completely without risk, the H1N1 vaccine is proving to be a very safe and very effective product," he said. "This much is certain: getting the vaccine is far safer than getting infected with the pandemic virus."

Maffett said she has been hearing the same reasons from many Bourbon County residents lately.

"We want to encourage everyone to get vaccinated during this lull," she said.

Pregnant women, children and those people with chronic medical conditions remain the priority groups for vaccination, but many Kansas counties, including Bourbon County, have recently expanded availability of the vaccine to everyone who wants it. If predicted supplies materialize in the coming weeks, there will not be a shortage of the vaccine in any Kansas community, according to KDHE.

"Our supplies are good," Maffett said. "There are no reservations about running out. The state can meet the demand now."

The statement from Eberhart-Phillips said that in the past month, supplies of the H1N1 vaccine have doubled. Both the injected and nasal spray forms of the vaccine are now available in more places from more providers than at any time since immunization against the pandemic strain began in early October.

"The time is now (to get the vaccine) because it takes two weeks to become fully active in your system," Maffett said.

The SEK Multi-County Health Department of Bourbon County, 221 S. Judson St., accepts walk-in H1N1 vaccinations on Mondays, or the office can be called between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday at (620) 223-4464 to schedule an appointment for a vaccination one of those days.

Private providers that are offering the vaccine and may charge a fee include Mercy Physician Group, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd., and the Southeast Kansas Urgent Care Center, 1624 S. National Ave. The seasonal flu vaccine is also available at Mercy Physician Group, Maffett said.

Maffett said that it is important for people to receive both the H1N1 flu vaccination and the seasonal flu vaccination since they are designed to protect against different flu strains.