H1N1 less of a concern this flu season

Health officials are feeling a lot better this year in the fight against the flu.

With influenza season right around the corner, vaccine supplies are good and health officials are confident H1N1 won't be the health problem it was last year.

"We're not as worried about H1N1 this year," said Kit Wagar, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. "It's just the flu."

In late October, Missouri, like the rest of the country, was hit by an epidemic of a new strain of swine flu. Health officials weren't exactly sure of the scope of H1N1, but it was clear the strain was highly contagious and, in thousands of cases nationally, deadly.

In Missouri, there were 12,020 reported cases of flu reported in the last two weeks of October, according to the state health department. St. Louis hospitals set up tents to handle the swell of swine flu sufferers.

Because influenza season in Missouri typically peaks in January and February, the early epidemic was overwhelming to local health systems. A severe shortage of vaccine -- the result of manufacturers caught off guard -- left much of the population vulnerable.

"This year we had none of those complications," Wagar said.

There's plenty of seasonal flu vaccine to go around, and it contains protection against H1N1.

On the downside, Wagar said, health officials expect to see three strains of influenza this year, including H1N1, which should remain the dominant flu player. But the vaccine is expected to protect against all three forms of flu, Wagar said.

Nearly 40 million doses of last year's vaccine were destroyed this summer after reaching their expiration date. The unused vaccine was worth $260 million. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told The Associated Press in July it "was more appropriate to have been prepared for the worst-case scenario than to have had too few doses."

While health officials have learned much about H1N1, particularly that it is no more serious than the seasonal flu, although much more contagious, they urge protection for the public.

"Anyone over the age of 6 months can get the shot and should get the shot," said LaDeva Enderle, community health nurse for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. The center has scheduled several flu shot clinics around the area in the coming weeks.

H1N1 has been shown to be particularly aggressive in pregnant women and school-age children. Those with underlying chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, also are at greater risk.

Most flu sufferers recover without treatment, but the viruses on average cause the deaths of 23,000 people and hospitalize 200,000 people annually, according to the Missouri health department.

"It emphasizes how important immunization is," Wagar said.

Health officials urge the public to observe a few simple rules in fighting the flu:

* Wash your hands.

* Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

* If you're sick, stay home.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

1121 Linden St., Cape Girardeau, MO