The flu season has arrived in Colorado, and with it a plentiful supply of flu vaccine, according to area health officials.
“There is a large supply of vaccine this year, much better than last year,” said Roberta Smith, adult immunization coordinator for the Colorado Department of Public Health.
Media reports about bird flu, now showing up in Asia, have increased the public’s concern about flu in general.
But health officials said that bird-flu concern is unfounded.
“There have never been any cases of bird flu in the United States,” said Dr. Paul Melinkovich, interim director of community health services at Denver Health Medical Center. “What the public should be concerned about is the flu that’s going around here now. People should get vaccinated.”
Clinics are held throughout the metro area at hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies, and charge an average of $25 for flu shots and $35 for pneumonia shots. Rite Aid Pharmacies holds clinics at 15 of its 26 stores throughout the state. Parker Adventist Hospital has been vaccinating up to 300 persons a day, with four more clinics scheduled through the end of the year, said spokeswoman Rachel Robinson. The Visiting Nurse Association is set up to travel to businesses to administer shots.
Flu vaccine, which is injected, is taken as a prevention against getting infected.
Anti-viral drugs, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, are taken orally once a person becomes infected.
A relatively new vaccine, Flu Mist, can be inhaled into the nose instead of injected, but it must be administered by a health official, said Smith of the state’s health department.
Following a guideline by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials have asked that healthy people wait until November to get vaccinated.
That would allow high-risk people, such as the elderly, infants and those who are ill, to get their vaccinations this month ahead of the crush.
The best prevention against contracting the flu is a vaccination, officials said.
After that, they advise covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing, staying home from work if you get the flu and washing your hands frequently.
Everyone contacted said that regular hand soap works fine and antimicrobial or antibacterial soaps are unnecessary.
For more information, visit www.immunizecolorado.com.
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-820-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
