Area health districts preparing for flu season

Public health agencies in the Inland Northwest have ordered influenza vaccine and are planning flu shot clinics, starting as early as next week in Spokane and Oct. 20 in Coeur d’Alene.

The agencies are targeting high-risk groups first and asking healthy people to wait until later in the year to get their shots.

Last year, the agencies gave a record number of flu shots, as parents heard news reports of child deaths in other states and brought their kids in for vaccines. The agencies in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene vaccinated an estimated 22,000 people last year against the sometimes deadly virus.

It’s impossible to guess whether 2004-‘05 will be a bad flu season, said Dr. Kim Thorburn, health officer of the Spokane Regional Health District. But there are no ominous warning signs.

“So far we’re not seeing any early activity here in the Northern Hemisphere,” Thorburn said. “There hasn’t been anything unusual in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Manufacturers study the flu virus in the Southern Hemisphere to get an idea about what strains will spread around the world. The flu virus evolves quickly, so vaccines must change, too. Some years, the match between vaccine and virus is better than other years.

This year’s flu shots are well matched to the virus strains detected so far in U.S. labs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s flu Web site, www.cdc.gov/flu.

Many grocery stores and pharmacies offer flu shots. Finding a location will be easier this year, thanks to a new Web site that finds the closest flu shot clinics by ZIP code. The American Lung Association’s site is at www.findaflushot.com/lungusa.

People can also get flu shots from their doctors or other health-care providers.

The Spokane Regional Health District and the Panhandle Health District in Coeur d’Alene are targeting pregnant women, people age 65 and older and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Health-care workers also are encouraged to get the shots to prevent spreading the virus to ill patients.

The CDC also recommends that children 6 months to 2 years old get flu shots.

The Spokane Regional Health District’s first flu shot clinic will be Oct. 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the health district headquarters at 1101 W. College Ave. in Spokane. The clinics at that location will continue Tuesdays through Fridays during flu season while vaccine supplies hold.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Fridays. Friday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, the health district will give the shots at the Spokane Valley Senior Center, 11423 E. Mission Ave., on Mondays, starting Oct. 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The fee is $15 per shot. Medicare covers the cost for most enrollees.

The Panhandle Health District will visit senior centers in Rathdrum and Spirit Lake on Oct. 20.

The health district will bring the vaccine to senior centers in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls and to the Bayview Community Center on Oct. 22.

On Oct. 29, the Panhandle Health District will give the shots at the Hayden Super One store, the IGA on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene and the Tidyman’s grocery story in Post Falls.

In November, shots will be available every Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Panhandle Health District headquarters, 2195 Ironwood Court, in Coeur d’Alene.

Cost is $15 per shot. The health district can bill Medicaid or Medicare for people covered by those programs.