Pandemic Influenza Information

Avian flu is caused by avian influenza viruses, which occur naturally among birds.
Pandemic flu is flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness that spreads easily from person to person. Currently there is no pandemic flu.
Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses.

For more information on pandemic influenza planning tools and Utah's Pandemic Influenza Plan , visit www.pandemicflu.utah.gov/.


Flu Vaccination Information

Flu Vaccine

There are two types of influenza vaccine: an injectible “flu shot” and a nasal spray vaccine. Each season three strains of virus are included in the influenza vaccine. The vaccine virus strain s for the 2007-2008 season include:

• A/Solomon Islands/3/2006 (H1N1)-like
• A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like
• B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like viruses.

The flu shot (Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine or TIV) contains killed virus. Flu shots are approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.

The nasal spray vaccine (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine or LAIV/ FluMist ®) contains the same three virus strains but are weakened live viruses. LAIV is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

The following tables describe the recommended number of doses by age for the TIV and LAIV vaccines:

Who Should Be Vaccinated

Influenza Vaccination Recommendations for the 2007 Flu Season:

• all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others;
• all children aged 6–59 months (i.e., 6 months–4 years);
• all persons aged >50 years;
• children and adolescents (aged 6 months–18 years) receiving long-term aspirin therapy who therefore might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection;
• women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
• adults and children who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus;
• adults and children who have any condition (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders) that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration;
• residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities;
• health-care personnel;
• healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of children aged <5 years and adults aged >50 years, with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children aged <6 months; and
• healthy household contacts (including children) and caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications from influenza.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated

Talk with your health care provider before getting the injectable flu vaccine (shot) if you:

• Have ever had a severe allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous flu shot or
• Have a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

If you are sick with a fever when you go to get your flu shot, you should talk to your doctor or nurse about getting your shot at a later date. However, you can get a flu shot at the same time you have a respiratory illness without fever or if you have another mild illness.

The following groups should not be vaccinated with the nasal spray influenza vaccine:

• People less than 2 years of age;
• People 50 years of age and over;
• People with a medical condition that places them at high risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system;
• Children 2 to 4 years old with a currrent history of recurrent wheezing;
• Children or adolescents receiving aspirin;
• People with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder of the nervous system;
• Pregnant women.

Click here to read the Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on the Prevention and Control of Influenza.


Public Flu Clinic Information Hotline

Influenza vaccine will be available at numerous locations such as; private provider offices and agencies, community health centers, public health departments, aging services, participating pharmacies, and participating grocery stores. For information about times and locations of public flu clinics, call the Utah Immunization Hotline at: 1-800-275-0659 or visit the Flu Vaccine Locator. Private provider information is not available through the hotline number. For private provider information, please call your private provider directly.

Flu Vaccine Supply

Influenza vaccine supplies appear very positive. Four companies are currently licensed to produce influenza vaccine in the U.S. market (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., MedImmune Vaccines, Inc., Novartis Vaccine, and GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.

At the current time, influenza vaccine manufacturers are projecting that as many as 132 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available from currently licensed manufacturers in the U.S. for use during the 2007-08 influenza season. This amount depends upon production yields, FDA release, and demand for product.

 Additional information is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza page http://www.cdc.gov/flu/.


What to Do If You Get the Flu

Flu vaccine is the primary measure to avoid illness from the flu. However, illness can still occur. The following information may be helpful for those who do get influenza.

Be Aware of Common Flu Symptoms

The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:

• High fever
• Headache
• Tiredness/weakness (can be extreme)
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Body or muscle aches
• Diarrhea and vomiting also can occur, but are more common in children.

These symptoms are usually referred to as “flu like symptoms." A lot of different illnesses, including the common cold, can have similar symptoms.

Cold versus the Flu

The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations.

General Steps to Take If You Get Sick

If you develop flu like symptoms, and you are not at high risk for complications from the flu:

• Get plenty of rest;
• Drink a lot of liquids;
• Avoid using alcohol and tobacco;
• Consider taking over the counter medications to relieve the symptoms of flu (but never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu like symptoms);
• Stay home and avoid contact with other people to protect them from catching your illness;
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze to protect others from your germs.

Most healthy people recover from the flu without complications.

Look Out for Emergency Warning Signs

There are some emergency warning signs that require urgent medical attention.

In children, some emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• High or prolonged fever;
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing;
• Bluish skin color;
• Not drinking enough fluids;
• Changes in mental status, such as not waking up or not interacting; being so irritable that the child does not want to be held; or seizures;
• Flu like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough; and
• Worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions (for example, heart or lung disease, diabetes).

In adults, some emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• High or prolonged fever;
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath;
• Pain or pressure in the chest;
• Near fainting or fainting;
• Confusion; and
• Severe or persistent vomiting.

Seek medical care immediately, either by calling your doctor or going to an emergency room, if you or someone you know is experiencing any of the signs described above or other unusually severe symptoms. When you arrive, tell the receptionist or nurse about your symptoms. Youmay be asked to wear a mask and/or sit in a separate area to protect others from getting sick.

Special Concerns for People at High Risk for Complications from the Flu

Some people are at increased risk to develop complications of flu. This group includes:

• People 65 years of age and older;
• Children 6-23 months of age*;
• People of any age with chronic medical conditions (for example, heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, or HIV infection); and
• Pregnant women.

*Healthy children 6-23 months and close contacts of healthy children birth to 5 months of age are at increased risk for influenza related hospitalization.

If you are in a group that is considered to be at high risk for complications from the flu and you get flu-like symptoms, you should consult your health care provider when your symptoms begin.

Some of the complications caused by flu include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes. Children also may get sinus and ear infections.

Staph Infection and the Flu

Persons infected with influenza are sometimes at higher risk for developing secondary infections, such as pneumonia. During the current U.S. influenza season, several cases of mmunity acquired MRSA infections, including pneumonias, have occurred in association with influenza infection. This has not been reported previously.

Click here for more information on Preventing the Flu.

Flu Vaccine Suppliers Include (alphabetically):

ASD Healthcare Call: 1-866-281-4FLU

Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. Call: 1-800-822-2463

Bessie Medical Call: 1-800-543-2111

CNS (Community Nursing Services) Call: 1-801-233-6100 (ask for Kim Olsen or Jeff Zwick in pharmacy.)

FFF Enterprises Call: 1-800-843-7477

General Injectables & Vaccines, Inc (GIV) distributes injectable flu vaccine but is the also the sole distributor for MedImmunes FluMist® Call: 1-800-521-7468

Henry Schein Medical Call: 1-800-772-4346

For a more extensive national list of flu vaccine distributors go to:
http://www.hida.org/document.asp?document_id=10082

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