BATTLING THE FLU

A local physician likens the question of whether to get this year’s flu vaccine to a sweater worn on a frigid day – you might wish you had an overcoat, too, but lacking one is not a reason to ignore the sweater. The problem Maine is having now is that it is having trouble finding even a sweater this season. The state can help.

The federal panel of experts guessed wrong this year in predicting what strain of influenza would dominate the season, with a new strain, Fujian, accounting for three-fourths of cases. The vaccine comes only as close as protecting again a cousin of Fujian, giving it an expected efficacy rate of around 50 percent instead of the usual 70 to 90 percent rate. Americans, however, don’t need to be told to get their flu shots – so many are doing so that there is a serious shortage of the vaccine.

This shortage doesn’t mean those who are unvaccinated should give up. The new guidelines for those who should be sure to get vaccinated include children between 6 months and 2 years, people over age 65, anyone with a chronic disease and pregnant women beyond the first trimester. It is recommended that health care providers, and anyone who lives with or cares for someone who is older than 50 or less than 6 months, or who has a chronic disease also be vaccinated as should teen-agers, who have been found to be the greatest spreaders of germs.

Does that leave anyone out? Young healthy adults, who, given the shortage of the injected vaccine, should try to obtain a nasal spray version, which has created some confusion. It is not clear, for instance, whether all insurance covers the product – it costs between $60 and $80 a dose – or whether a prescription is needed to get it. The nasal spray could be more effective than the injected version because it contains a weakened live virus but it may also have stronger side effects.

The Bureau of Health a week ago made a point of describing ways of staying healthy and not spreading germs: Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, place used tissues in a wastebasket and wash your hands often. If you get sick, stay home. It should do the same with the nasal spray vaccine, anticipating common questions, urging the most vulnerable to make an extra effort to protect themselves.

The Centers for Disease Control presents a similar campaign for the flu, generally, with a myth vs. fact page on its web site. It is true, for instance, that people can die from the flu – about 36,000 do each year; and it’s true that not everyone can take the vaccine. “You might not be able to get this protection if you are allergic to eggs (used in making the injectable vaccine), are very sick with a high fever, or have had a severe reaction to the flu vaccine in the past,” it reports. But it is false that you must get a flu vaccine before December to have it be effective. Says the CDC: “Flu vaccine can be given before or during the flu season. While the best time to get flu vaccine is October or November, getting vaccinated in December or later can still protect you against the flu.”

It’s not yet clear how serious this flu season will be, but the heightened interest in getting vaccinated is a positive sign that people are taking a rational step to protect themselves. Despite the shortages of vaccine, the state can help the process by making sure more information about the vaccines is quickly and clearly understood.