State officials: Flu shots key to preventing pandemic

Douglas County’s Medical Reserve Corps can use more volunteers in case of a flu pandemic, although health department officials say they still have plenty of flu vaccine.

“We would really like to make sure that all of the people, especially those in higher risk categories, get a vaccination,” said Kim Ens, disease control program coordinator for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

Area and state health officials presented information about a possible flu pandemic to about 30 people Thursday at the health department.

The town-hall meeting was the 13th in recent days and the final stop on a state tour for Drs. Howard Rodenberg and Gail Hansen, officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The presentation included tips on how to stop the flu from spreading if a virus hits the area.

Some models show a pandemic could infect one out of four Kansans if it hits, Rodenberg said.

For the past few years, the state and Douglas County have prepared for a possible pandemic, but with the flu, it’s difficult to predict where and when it will appear.

“I can’t tell you it’s going to come to Douglas County on this day and on this block. I wish I could do it, but I can’t,” Hansen said.

The KDHE will offer advice to local governments on how to best keep services functioning if a significant portion of the population gets infected.

“We’d have to be talking about how we’d be keeping the trash picked up and so forth,” Ens said.

During his presentation, Rodenberg said the country would not face a vaccine shortage this year. But some factors could force distribution issues, such as more-populated areas receiving more of the vaccine first.

Companies do not produce the entire quantity of doses at once. But because officials do not expect flu season to hit until later in January, a shot in December will still provide protection, he said.

Tips for flu prevention

Tips for flu prevention:

¢ Wash your hands.
¢ Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing; try to do it into your elbow rather than onto your hands.
¢ Stay home when you are sick.
¢ Avoid crowds during an outbreak.
¢ Get a vaccination if you qualify.

Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment

“Too often we have this perception that if you don’t get immunized early, you can’t get immunized,” Rodenberg said.

The local health department offered vaccinations earlier this year at larger sites, such as the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

“I would have liked more people to have come,” Ens said.

The health department still has more than 2,000 doses of vaccine, and Ens encouraged anyone – especially people older than 65, younger children, people who take care of young children and those with chronic illness – to get a flu shot.

The Douglas County Medical Reserve Corps, which has 25 volunteers now, aims to have about 100 volunteers, Ens said.

John W. Kramer attended Thursday’s meeting because he said he had an 8-year-old child and wanted to receive feedback on how best to handle the situation if an outbreak occurred.

“I think it’s very good to be prepared even if it does blow over,” Kramer said.