CDC Study Raises Level of Suspicion

December 10, 2003

Steve

FYI this is the general area that I heard the low flying aircraft on
cloudy days. I would think that if they are doing it further south then
north is well within the bounds ofr a flight path for the da


December 10, 2003

Idaho Flu kills 11 in Idaho as virus spreads

Kevin Graman Staff writer
Colin Mulvany - The Spokesman-Review

As hundreds flood the lobby of the Spokane Regional Health District on
Tuesday, Diane Uphus, of Spokane Valley, nears the end of a two-and-a-half
hour wait for a flu shot for her daughter, Madison, 5.


The flu came early this year. It is widespread, and it has created a
demand for vaccine that is in short supply, according to regional health
officials.

There have been 11 deaths in Idaho since October as a result of the flu,
according to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesman Tom Shanahan.

None of those deaths was in the five counties covered by the Panhandle
Health District, said Susan Cuff, public information officer for the
district.

"Flu is widespread in Idaho," said Shanahan. "We're still advising
people to get the flu shot," despite dwindling supply.

The Washington Department of Health is recommending that health care
providers prioritize their remaining flu vaccine for high-risk patients --
those older than 50, people in nursing homes, very young children and
children with other medical conditions.

This comes after the three manufacturers of the vaccine said Friday that
they had shipped all 83.4 million doses. There is no more.

The shots will offer considerably weaker protection than any flu vaccine
in recent years, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. Some experts expect
the level of protection to be 50 percent or less.

The flu shot available this year was formulated to protect against three
strains of the virus. But the strain actually circulating this year,
A-Fujian, is somewhat different from those three, and it is probably too
late to develop a new formula.

Though health districts are running low on vaccine, "there is vaccine
available from private providers," Shanahan said. Those include local
physicians and clinics, grocery stores and pharmacies.

The Panhandle Health District expected to receive 350 doses on Tuesday
for distribution today at 2195 Ironwood Court in Coeur d'Alene, starting at
8:30 a.m.

"We have had quite a few phone calls wondering when the next health
clinic is," Cuff said.

She said the district has vaccinated 9,200 people so far this season and
that number will approach 9,500 with today's clinic.

"We hope to stem the spread of any flu that might get started," said
Cuff, who added that there has been an increase in cases in the last few
weeks.

Cuff said North Idaho schools have reported a slight increase in
absences, but they are a result of many typical wintertime ailments,
including flu.

In Washington, where flu is not a reportable condition under state law,
the Department of Health has no way of tracking the number of cases or how
many have resulted in death, public information officer Tim Church said.

"We're seeing cases in all parts of Washington and high absenteeism in
schools around the state," he said.

The state only provides vaccine for at-risk children -- between 6 and 23
months or those with underlying health conditions -- and has shipped out all
the vaccine it has, Church said.

"There is no statewide way of tracking how much vaccine is available to
adults or healthy children," Church said, "but we do know the supply is low
in Washington state."

Tuesday morning, the Spokane Regional Health District had 1,600 doses of
the vaccine. It expects to run out by the end of the week.

"People were waiting and all of the sudden, we're almost out," said
Melanie Rose, public information manager for the Spokane Regional Health
District.

Rose said demand for the vaccine started to pick up at the end of
November after the report of child deaths in Colorado. Last week, the Los
Angeles Times reported that at least seven Colorado children have died as a
result of the flu.

Two people have died in Spokane County so far this year, Rose said. Both
were elderly residents of nursing homes.

The first reported case in the county was at the end of October.

"It's early and it's widespread in our community," Rose said. "But we're
certainly not as hard hit as other parts of the country."

Holy Family Hospital in Spokane has not seen an extensive increase in
flu cases. But Kim Richardson, the hospital's infection control coordinator,
said there have been more cases earlier in the season than normal.

Deaconess and Sacred Heart medical centers have seen no notable
increases in patients admitted as a result of the flu. But Maureen Goings,
public relations director at Sacred Heart, said Tuesday that 15 people had
come into the emergency room with respiratory illness in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, area school attendance is starting to come down with the flu.

"We have seen a gradual increase in absenteeism," said Kathe Reed-McKay,
health services director for the Spokane Public Schools.

Schools are required to report absenteeism over 10 percent to the health
district. Monday, two schools reached that level -- Salk Middle School
reported 10 percent of its students absent and Garry Junior High reported 14
percent.

"Though this isn't unusual for winter months," Reed-McKay said, "we
definitely have illness traveling through the community."

People wanting a flu shot were lined up Tuesday morning at the Spokane
Regional Health District's clinic, out into the lobby and down the stairs
into the garage.

"A pretty small inconvenience compared to having to make a trip to the
hospital for something a little more serious," said Greg Rose of Spokane,
who was waiting in line with his wife and four children.

He said he's had to put off getting his family shots until this week
because his children had colds.

"I don't want to be sick for Christmas," said Rose's daughter, Brittany,
11. "It was bad enough being sick for Thanksgiving."