SEMO sells flu vaccine to county

A sudden bonanza of 580 doses of flu vaccine received by the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center this week was distributed to nursing homes as quickly as it came in.

The health center bought the doses from Southeast Missouri State University at cost, which amounted to $48,256 -- about $83 a dose.

"We were delighted," said Charlotte Craig, director of the county health center.

The doses, obtained Monday, were sold at cost to area nursing homes. But they still weren't enough to meet the needs of the nursing homes.

"We had determined we needed close to 2,000 doses," Craig said. So even the latest supply of vaccine didn't go very far toward meeting the demand.

"We still don't have flu vaccine for the general public," said Craig, whose agency had ordered 5,500 doses of the vaccine from British-based manufacturer Chiron.

Earlier this year the company had its manufacturing license suspended due to quality control issues. It was to have made more than 46 million doses of vaccine for the United States.

What flu vaccine is available in the United States today is coming from French manufacturer Aventis Pasteur.

That's how the university ended up with its vaccine.

Since late October, the Center for Health and Counseling has received two shipments of the flu vaccine totaling 850 doses. The second shipment unexpectedly arrived on campus last week, said Judy St. John, director of the university health center.

The university has vaccinated 270 high-risk students, faculty, staff and retirees, St. John said. But that still left 580 doses, which the university decided should be made available to the public health center.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged that only high-risk individuals be immunized this year because of the vaccine shortage.

The CDC said high-risk Americans include those who have heart problems, lung problems, kidney disease, diabetes, anemia, asthma, cancer or disorders that lower immunity, HIV or AIDS, and those over 65 years of age.

Others who should be immunized include health-care workers who deal directly with patient care, pregnant women and those who live with or care for infants who are less than 6 months old, the CDC said.

Prior to receiving the latest supply from the university, the county health center dispensed about 430 doses, including 280 to firefighters, police and other emergency personnel. The remainder of that limited supply went to Southeast Missouri Hospital and homebound patients, Craig said.

Craig said the county health center may receive some additional doses of the flu vaccine in December or January through the CDC's reallocation of the existing national supply. The state expects to receive 156,000 doses of the vaccine through the reallocation, but Craig said it's unclear how many of those doses will come to her agency.

She said she doesn't want to pay for doses that won't be used. If the supply comes too late in the flu season, there will be little demand for the shots.

The flu season usually peaks in February, but it is not unusual for it to extend into March, she said.

The vaccine takes full effect three weeks after the shot is given, so people may see little reason to get flu shots in January, Craig said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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