Document text
33 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, December 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 3, 2004 County health gets a real shot in the arm Flu season expected to be milder; vaccine begins to arrive By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune There’s good news this flu season: The first shipments of vaccine already have arrived, and health officials don’t expect any particularly vicious strains this year. Vulnerable groups, such as seniors, the chronically ill or their caretakers, still should ensure they get shots early on, said Jackson County public health nurse Viki Barbour. The shots will be available to the public on a walk-in basis Nov. 1 at the Jackson County Health Department, 1105 E. Main St., Medford. Hours are 8:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays. The flu season generally starts in December and peaks in February. The agency is offering the $20 shots at a large flu shot clinic Oct. 27 at the Medford Armory, which will double as a preparedness drill to train for a possible bio-terrorism attack, said Barbour. "We’ll be trying to route a lot of people in for the shots, to train us for a possible future mass clinic for antibiotics," she said. Advertisement The agency has received about a third of its requested supply of 5,000 doses and has received "no assurance of the next delivery date," Barbour said. "We expect no problem with supply," she said. "It just may be delayed a little." Barbour said no particularly vicious flu strains appear to be on the horizon this season. The health department administers only a small percentage of flu shots countywide, about one in eight. Hospitals, doctors and businesses do the rest. Most health care workers in the state, about 64 percent, fail to get flu shots and are "often implicated as the source of flu in health care settings," said Lorraine Duncan, immunization manager for Oregon Department of Human Services. Immunization of health care workers has been shown to cut flu by 43 percent, she said, and reduce deaths from flu in senior care facilities by 44 percent. In Jackson County health agencies, however, 75 to 80 percent of workers are immunized, Barbour said. In the general population, less than 25 percent get flu shots. "A lot of people don’t believe in flu shots," she said. "Some people feel the shots don’t help them or that they got sick from the shots." Backing up that view is Michael Framson of Medford, the Oregon representative of the National Vaccine Information Center ( www.nvic.org ), an organization in Arlington, Va., that seeks to educate the public about the downside of vaccinations. If people’s immune systems are weak enough to permit infection by flu, Framson said, it’s a sign they need to improve diet, exercise, rest and other health-promoting practices, rather than turn to shots and other medicines. Barbour said she "absolutely agrees and supports that" but her department is not given funding to adequately promote preventive care. Framson charged the shots have unhealthful substances, including toxic preservatives such as mercury and formaldehyde, which are implicated in neurological disorders, speech pathology, developmental disabilities and autism. Shots without these substances are available on request, he said. Barbour said mercury is contained in simerisol, a "safe, effective preservative in small amounts" which is used in vaccines and other medical solutions, such as contact lens solution. It is kept out of children’s vaccines because of the large number of shots they get, she added. Health experts continue to urge vulnerable populations to get vaccinated. "Every year ends up being a bad one for flu, and we want people to be protected," Duncan said. "The past few flu seasons have really raised public awareness, so we’re hoping people take action and get immunized. "People at a high risk of complications from the flu and those who come in contact with them should start getting their immunizations immediately. And if you’re a health care provider, that means you. Don’t take the chance of spreading influenza to vulnerable patients." At-risk groups still need shots The Oregon Department of Human Services advises flu vaccinations for: Anyone 50 or older; residents of long-term care facilities; anyone age 6 months and older with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, renal disease and immune deficiencies; children under 19 who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy; and women who will be in any trimester of pregnancy during flu season. Healthy children ages 6 to 23 months. All people who live, work or provide care to high-risk persons listed above. Parents and caregivers of infants up to 6 months are especially encouraged to get a flu shot. For more information, call 1-800-SAFENET or see www.dhs.state.or.us/publichealth/acd/docs/influenza.cfm John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities