KDHE Receives Additional Flu Vaccine from Dept. of Corrections
State Redistributes Hundreds of Doses of Influenza Vaccine

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has received an additional 370 doses of flu vaccine from the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC). The vaccine will be shipped to 22 local health departments this week. The doses remained available following KDOC’s vaccination of employees and inmates and are now being made available to KDHE free of charge.

“Demand for flu vaccine remains high in the state, so we are very grateful to KDOC for offering these additional doses at no cost,” Sue Bowden, KDHE Immunizations Program Director.

KDHE’s web-based Vaccine Redistribution Center, activated December 11, has proved a valuable tool for working with local health departments and private providers across the state to determine where additional vaccine is needed and where additional doses are available. Providers needing vaccine can request vaccine or offer available vaccine by going to http://www.kdheks.gov/flu/redistribution.html.

To date, private providers in the state have offered up 280 doses of vaccine through the Vaccine Redistribution Center. Those doses were then shipped to interested providers in Topeka, Wichita and Goodland. The additional 370 doses from KDOC to KDHE will also be shipped to those who have requested it through the Vaccine Redistribution Center.

“We have been able to save a lot of valuable time and resources by using the Vaccine Redistribution Center,” Bowden noted. “We are able to quickly identify areas where need remains and determine how to redistribute our supplies.”

Earlier this month, the Vaccine Redistribution Center shipped 920 free doses of adult vaccine from CDC to 51 counties requesting the vaccine. Also 1,550 doses of pediatric vaccine from CDC are being sent to 38 county health departments and private providers in the next week or two. And early next month, nearly 3,500 adult doses will be available for purchase through the CDC contract by local health departments in Kansas through the Vaccine Redistribution Center.

The latest KDHE influenza surveillance efforts show flu activity throughout the state remains widespread.

Influenza/Pneumonia Related Deaths in Kansas.

During the current flu season (Sept. ’03 - Dec. ’03) in Kansas, 9 people have died of influenza, 158 people have died of pneumonia, and another 393 people have died of complications from influenza or pneumonia. This brings the total influenza/pneumonia related deaths in Kansas to 560 since September. (See attached chart).

During last year’s flu season in Kansas (September 2002 to May 2003), more than 1,600 Kansans died of influenza/pneumonia related illness. Each year in the United States 36,000 people die from complications related to the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some individuals are at greater risk of influenza complications or pose greater risk to others and should have priority in receiving the vaccine:

• Individuals over 65 years of age.
• Children age 6 - 23 months.
• Individuals with some chronic (on-going) long term health problems.
• Women who are at least 3 months pregnant during flu season.
• Health care workers and others who provide care to high risk individuals

KDHE recommends the following during flu season:

• Wash your hands before/after coming in contact with people and after sneezing/coughing.
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
• Limit contact with large crowds of people and stay home if you have flu-like
  symptoms.
• Contact your medical provider first if you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms
  that you believe require medical attention.

Reporting Influenza in Kansas

Influenza is not a reportable disease in Kansas, therefore KDHE does not receive case by case information. Instead the state receives reports from local health departments and regional sites (sentinel sites) where doctors and hospitals provide details on FLU activity in each region and also send some specimens for testing to the Division of Health and Environmental Laboratories (DHEL) at KDHE. The state laboratory tests viral specimens to identify specific strains, and notes any changes in the strains from the initial outbreak continuing throughout the influenza season.

Effectiveness of the Vaccine This Year

The flu vaccine is usually around 80 percent effective in preventing illness from influenza virus. This means that it is possible to get influenza after having the vaccine, but even when illness occurs symptoms are usually less severe and complications less frequent.

This year’s vaccine protects against the strain A/Panama/2007/99(H3N2), but A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2) has been identified in individuals in the U.S. and other countries. Although vaccine effectiveness against A/Fujian/411/2002-like viruses may be less than that against A/Panama/2007/99-like viruses, it is expected that the current U.S. vaccine will offer some cross-protective immunity against the A/Fujian/411/2002-like viruses and reduce the severity of disease.

Flu Symptoms

If you begin to feel achy and feverish with a dry cough, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of liquids, and use aspirin or acetaminophen to reduce fever. Due to the risk of Reye’s Syndrome, aspirin and other medicines containing salicylate should not be given to children.

New medications are available to reduce the severity and shorten the duration of influenza, but they must be administered within 48 hours of illness onset.

Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory illness, and its symptoms include sudden onset of fever, sore throat, muscle aches, and non-productive cough. More serious illness can result if pneumonia occurs. Influenza is spread by direct contact with an infected person or by airborne droplets which produce infection when they are inhaled or ingested off the hands. Persons are most contagious during the 24 hours before they develop symptoms and are usually somewhat infectious for the next six or seven days. The incubation period, the time from when the virus enters the body until symptoms appear, is usually one to three days.

Treatment

Treatment for uncomplicated influenza includes bed rest, adequate fluid intake, relief of cough and sore throat symptoms, and aspirin or acetaminophen to reduce fever. While it is possible to get influenza after having the vaccine, when illness occurs symptoms are usually less severe and complications less frequent.

For more go to: www.kdheks.gov/flu/index.html or www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/weekly.htm.

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