Health officials urge everyone to get flu shots

OLYMPIA—Colder weather is just around the corner and with it comes the flu season. But there is a way to prevent flu.

The Washington State Department of Health urges everyone, especially people at high risk to get vaccinated starting in October. In Washington the flu season usually peaks from January through March.

Influenza can strike anyone, but it is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly. The Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends early vaccination for people at high-risk, who are most vulnerable.

This year, for the first time, they also strongly encourage that healthy children, ages 6 to 23 months, be vaccinated. Babies and very young children have a hospitalization rate similar to that of the elderly.

Every year an average of 36,000 people in the United States die from flu-related illness. "These are unnecessary deaths,” according to State Health Office Dr. Maxine Hayes. Vaccination will help reduce your risk of getting the flu, and reduce the severity of the flu if you get it.”

"Our practice tries very hard to get our high-risk kids vaccinated for the flu every year. Now, we're going to be expanding that effort to healthy young children as well. One tool that has been very helpful to us in this effort is the CHILD Profile Immunization Registry," said Debbie Lacy, RN, and Nurse Manager at Pediatric Associates of Whidbey Island. "With CHILD Profile, we are easily able to run a flu vaccine recall list and know we won't miss anyone we immunized the year before."

The CHILD Profile Immunization Registry is making it easier than ever for health-care providers and families to track immunizations. CHILD Profile is Washington state's health promotion and immunization registry system designed to help ensure Washington's children receive the preventive health care and immunizations they need.

The immunization registry is a computer system that helps health-care providers keep track of children's immunizations. It gives participating health care providers access to a shared, secure registry of immunization information to facilitate the care of each child.

CHILD Profile is working to recruit more providers to use the registry. The goal is to have 95 percent of providers in the state using the registry by 2006.

Those at high-risk include anyone 65 or older, all children from 6 months up to two years of age, children and adults with chronic lung or heart conditions, diabetes, renal dysfunction, or suppressed immune systems. Also considered high risk are residents of long-term care facilities, children receiving long-term aspirin therapy, women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season, health-care providers, and household members of people in these groups.

Most people need only one flu shot each year to prevent influenza. However, children under nine years of age receiving the vaccine for the first time should get two shots, one month apart.

Childhood flu vaccines are provided at no cost to patients 6 months through 18 years of age. However, an administration or office visit fee may be charged. Adult flu vaccines may be covered by private insurance and are covered by Medicare Part B.

Check with your insurance carrier for details about your coverage. FluMist, a new nasal spray vaccine, is also available this year. However, it has not been approved for high-risk individuals, children under age 5, or adults over 49.

Washington State Department of Health release, October 6

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