While cases of H1N1 virus are on the rise in both Jefferson and Clallam counties, health officials are still frustrated by the slow delivery of vaccine needed to fight what is also known as swine flu.
Cases of H1N1 flu are increasing in the general population, with the Chimacum School District the only North Olympic Peninsula school to show an absentee rate of about 18 percent this week, the first week a Jefferson County school district reported to be well above the 10 percent threshold that health officials consider a normal absentee rate, said Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Jefferson and Clallam counties.
“We’re seeing an upswing in influenza-like illnesses, with symptoms such as fevers and coughs,” Locke said Thursday.
Locke said one Clallam County school reported absenteeism above 10 percent this week, but he was unsure which district and the exact percentage.
“We’re starting this week and thereafter we will be publish a weekly report of this data,” Locke said of the Clallam and Jefferson County Public Health departments.
The upshot in H1N1 cases comes as the companies that produce vaccine are lagging behind the demand.
Clallam County was expected this week to get 700 doses of flu mist and injectable vaccine, Locke said.
Next week, Clallam will be allocated 600 doses, including injectable that is without preservatives for pregnant women.
Jefferson County was allocated 300 doses this week and is only guaranteed 200 doses next week, Locke said.
Production levels
“We are being told that the production levels are falling far short of their forecast,” Locke said.
“But the bottom line is we received a lot less than we expected this month.”
Jean Baldwin, Jefferson County Public Health director, said her department is being swamped with calls for vaccine.
“The severity of the illness is picking up,” Baldwin said Thursday.
“The people that are angry, they’re not at the highest risk for the disease.”
Children and younger adults are considered the most vulnerable to the swine flu, with those older than 60 the least susceptive because of a strain that swept the nation in the 1950s.
Baldwin said her department was supposed to be at 13 percent of vaccine allocated for the whole population at this time, “and we’re only at 3 percent.”
The federal government has procured 250 million doses of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The quantity of vaccine accounts for the National Institutes of Health clinical trial data showing that children 6 months to 9 years will need two doses and persons 10 and older will need one dose.
Limited amounts
Limited amounts of 2009 H1N1 vaccine became available early this month, and more will continue to become available over the upcoming weeks, the CDC reports.
H1N1 vaccine is still being manufactured and is not yet widely available for the general public at this time, Baldwin and Locke said.
The first doses of the H1N1 vaccine began arriving in Jefferson and Clallam counties during the second week of October.
The limited supply of vaccine doses received to date is being prioritized to protect people most at risk for H1N1 influenza, as recommended by the CDC.
The Jefferson County Health Department is working with the state Department of Health and CDC to ensure shipments go out to Jefferson County immunization providers continuously as the vaccine is produced, Baldwin said.
Jefferson County Public Health is making plans to ensure that people without personal medical providers will have access to the vaccine.
In Jefferson County, updates regarding where to get the H1N1 vaccine are available by:
• Calling your medical provider.
• Phoning the Health Department Flu Line at 360-379-4471.
• Going to the health department flu information Web site: www.jeffersoncountypublichealth.org.
• The vaccine is also be available at Madrona Hill Urgent Care clinic, 2500 Sims Way, Suite 1, Port Townsend.
In Clallam County:
• Phone your medical provider.
• Phone Clallam County Health & Human Services office at 360-417-2274 for information and immunization clinic schedules.
• Go to the Web site at www.clallam.net/news/swineflu.html for information.
• Phone the Forks Health Department at 360-374-3121 for West End information and immunization clinic schedules.SClB________
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.