These clinics normally begin

the last week of September or first week of October and continue into

early December, or until the vaccine supply is depleted. This year, however,

influenza vaccine manufacturers have told the FDA and CDC to expect delays

in flu vaccine shipments and that it is possible that there will be a

shortage of influenza virus vaccine for the 2000-01 flu season.

The cause of the predicted

delay in production is twofold.

1. One of the three components

of the vaccine [influenza A (H3N2)] has not grown as well as anticipated,

causing a decline in the rate and amount of vaccine production.

2. Two of the four manufacturers

licensed to distribute the vaccine in the U.S. have had regulatory actions

taken against them by the FDA. The implementation and review of any corrective

actions taken by these two companies will take time. This situation will

further impact vaccine production and distribution.

Upon contacting the pharmaceutical

company that supplies our influenza vaccine, we were advised not to expect

shipment of the vaccine until mid-to-late October. District 4 Health Services

and the CDC are encouraging all health departments not to schedule flu

clinics until mid-to-late November and to have in place a plan to ensure

that high risk patients receive vaccination if a severe shortfall occurs.

Those considered to be at highest

risk are:

Persons over age 65;

Adults and children aged 6

months and older who are immunosuppressed (i.e. long-term steroid treatment,

chemo or radiation treatment for cancer, or HIV/AIDS or other diseases

of the immune system);

Adults and children 6 months

and older with serious long-term illnesses (diabetes, heart and/or lung

disease, kidney disease, asthma, anemia and other blood disorders);

Children and teenagers (aged

6 months to 18 years) who are receiving long term aspirin therapy and

therefore might be at risk for developing Reye Syndrome after influenza

infection;

Women who will be in the second

or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season; and

Health-care workers who have

close contact, and family members who live with/care for persons at high

risk for complications from influenza.

The health department, as a

result of the aforementioned manufacturing problems, has been unable to

set a specific date for the start of flu vaccination as yet. It is not

certain wether we will be able to hold a week-long, walk-in clinic as

we normally do; nor can we schedule on-site flu clinics with the industries

and schools.

Our scheduling is dependent

on information that is not available with any degree of certainty at this

time. We will keep the community informed as more information becomes

available.

We appreciate the awareness

and concern of those who have already called to ask about flu clinics.

Please be assured that as soon as we are given a date when the vaccine

will be shipped to us, we will notify the public through the local newspapers,

and the health department's web site .