Subscribe
Community
St. Mary's still waits for doses of H1N1 vaccine
Seasonal flu clinics start up
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
|
| ||
|
E-Mail This Article
Vaccinations for the seasonal flu are here and are being distributed to students in St. Mary's County, but the health department is still waiting for the H1N1 virus vaccination, which may arrive this month or in November.
"We're still awaiting delivery of most of it," Dr. William Icenhower, county health officer, told the county commissioners Tuesday.
While the department is short staffed and using volunteers and nursing students to distribute the seasonal flu vaccine to students, the good news is there hasn't been a severe outbreak of H1N1 here. "We've had very little H1N1 flu in St. Mary's County," Icenhower said. "We're just waiting on the vaccine." The vaccine is federally funded and is not affected by recent state cuts to the department.
The seasonal flu kills about 36,000 Americans each year and 1,000 Marylanders a year, he said. The H1N1 flu has killed about 1,000 people nationwide and nine Marylanders. "There are far less people dying of the new flu so far this year," he said.
People need to regularly wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough, he said. The seasonal flu vaccine is 70 percent effective, while the new vaccine for H1N1 is 90 percent effective. H1N1 is a single virus strain. The seasonal flu can be a combination of strains and it changes year to year, he said.
If someone is sickened by the H1N1 flu, there is medicine on hand for treatment. "Tamiflu works" if taken within the first two days of sickness, he said. The county has 138 courses available.
It's actually difficult to determine if a person has the seasonal or H1N1 flu, Icenhower said. "The two flus are very similar in their presentation," he said.
Despite the manpower shortage in the health department, vaccinations continued this week at elementary schools with a 60 to 65 percent acceptance rate among students.
The health department also explained how state budget cuts have affected the level of service. The department has experienced a loss of $1.1 million over the past two years and the elimination of 31 positions during the last three years due to attrition and layoffs. Twelve employees were laid off last week, out of a pool of 85 workers. "You can imagine there are many people worried," Icenhower said, at the health department about future levels of state funding.
Daryl Calvano, director of the environmental health division, said there is an "abysmal atmosphere in state government" because of cuts.
Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D) said the health department should brief Southern Maryland lawmakers on the impacts of cuts. "I think it's important for them to hear it from you all," he said. "Do they want them to be a state agency anymore?"
