Time to get flu shot (and pneumonia)

Oct. 1, 2006, 11:26PM
Flu season opens with reminder: Get a shot
No shortage of vaccine is seen, but some venues don't yet have it

By LEIGH HOPPER
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Stan Burton will line up today for a flu shot, even if he has to duck out from his job. That's because his 12-year-old daughter, Jennie, came down with the virus earlier this month, providing an up-close reminder of the illness's severity.

"She wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear for about a week. She got up to where she had energy to go to school, and even then came home and went straight to bed," said Burton, whose daughter attends Schindewolf Intermediate in the Klein school district. "The whole crew was given Tamiflu so we wouldn't catch it and spread it around."

Today marks the beginning of flu-shot season, with vaccination clinics under way at Houston pharmacies, senior living centers and elsewhere. Flu season typically lasts from October to March, and can drag on into May.

Scattered reports of flu, such as Jennie Burton's, are cropping up, although it's unclear whether any rapid tests used to diagnose illness have been confirmed by laboratory tests. Texas Children's Hospital, which monitors flu closely, hasn't reported any lab-confirmed flu. Rapid flu tests can produce false positive results.

"It's really hard to know. If it's early flu, we're probably going to be in trouble," said Dr. Melanie Mouzoon, director of immunization practice for Kelsey-Seybold.

"The flu vaccine is going to be here shortly. It's trickling in now."

'A little more urgent'

Most physician offices are still awaiting shipment of their flu vaccine orders. Kelsey-Seybold's supply usually comes in October, and the plan has been to push the vaccine in November.

"If flu is out there, it makes it a little more urgent," Mouzoon said.

Unlike previous years, there's no shot shortage expected — federal authorities say there will be 100 million doses available, 17 million more than last year. October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but getting vaccinated in December or even later will protect against circulating flu virus.

In addition, there's no rationing of shots — you don't need a health condition that puts you at special risk to secure a place in line. The CDC urges just about everyone to get a flu shot, including children age 6 months to 59 months, people age 50 and above, as well as household contacts of these individuals.

Still watching bird flu

A different type of flu — avian influenza — remains a threat, even if public hysteria has subsided. Global health experts are watching Indonesia and Thailand, where there have been 93 human cases including 69 deaths in recent weeks. The concern is that the virus will mutate into a form that spreads easily among people.

Dr. Paul Glezen, a flu expert at Baylor College of Medicine, says two out of the last three flu pandemics were caused by bird flu genetically mixing with human flu. Flu shots are a way of helping prevent that.

"Obviously, the less human flu that circulates, the less chance of avian (mixture) with the human flu virus," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

leigh.hopper@chron.com