CDC: Swine flu shots coming

By Craig Schneider

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Federal health officials said today that swine flu shots should be available in limited quantities this week, but would not be widespread until the end of the month.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, immunization director for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said shipments of the shots started going out to states Sunday and Monday, and more will be arriving week by week.

"You won't see it everywhere until the end of the month," she said.

Georgia community health clinics have already received initial doses of the nasal mist vaccine for swine flu, which is also called H1N1. While the clinics have stressed that they want these initial doses to go to healthy children ages 2 to 4, many say they will not turn anyone away.

In addition, health officials say the nasal mist, which is made with a weakened live virus, should only be used for healthy people ages 2 to 49, and not by pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.

The CDC also said Tuesday that a study revealed that 45 percent of adults hospitalized with swine flu did not have any underlying health condition that made them predisposed to the illness. Such underlying conditions would include asthma and chronic lung and heart disease.

The federal health agency had reviewed the cases of 1,400 adult swine flu patients in 10 states.

The CDC had earlier said that the majority of people who had severe illness from swine flu had underlying health conditions. The new information suggests that is a small majority.

"This virus can be serious in people, even healthy people," Schuchat said.

CDC officials say more analysis is needed before they draw conclusions regarding children and the issue of underlying health issues.

Georgia officials say the state has ordered about 2 million doses of the swine flu vaccine, expected by the end of the month. The vaccine is expected to be distributed to community health clinics, hospitals and private health care providers such as doctors and pharmacies.

A spokesman for CVS said the drugstore chain is awaiting word from states, including Georgia, on whether CVS will be used as a distribution point for swine flu vaccine.

The CDC does not have a precise count on all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations, but existing reports suggest more than 600 have died and more than 9,000 have been hospitalized.

In Georgia, more than 500 people have been hospitalized and 27 have died from swine flu.