Nearly 700 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine have arrived at WSU Health and Wellness Services in the last few days, making it possible for campus health officials to offer the shot to any student who wants it.
While there is no good time to get the flu, the weeks leading up to and including finals would be among the worst times on a college campus, so health officials are pleased that the large shipments arrived before the Thanksgiving break.
“We are going to continue offering flu vaccines in our clinics,” said Paula Adams, health communicator for WSU Health and Wellness Services. She said students should call first to avoid lines, but that everyone who wants the shot can probably be accommodated.
At this time the shots are reserved for WSU students, Adams said, but they might become available to faculty and staff if more remains after the student demand is satisfied.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, people ages 6 months through 24 years are considered a high priority to receive the vaccine, and both locally and nationally health officials have worried that there could be a bump in reported cases when students return from Thanksgiving break.
“It’s not the traveling that is high risk,” said Tim Moody, chief health officer with Whitman County Public Health, “it’s the burning the candle at both ends.”
If students return from break already worn out from traveling and visiting with friends and family, the possibility of lowered immune system meeting up with a very contagious virus is that much greater.
It isn’t that that age group is particularly vulnerable, he said, but they do tend to share germs more readily.
“The idea behind trying to vaccinate healthy people between 6 months and 24 years of age is to prevent the kind of wildfire spread that we saw at the beginning of the school year.”
In a guest editorial in the Nov. 19 Daily Evergreen, Dr. Dennis Garcia, HWS senior associate director, warned that that although the number of students reporting flu-like symptoms has dropped off sharply, it’s still important for students to get vaccinated. Flu pandemics have waves, he said, and it’s possible that the university will see another spike in cases after the break. While H1N1 flu symptoms have been mild for most people, he said, the virus significantly weakens the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to other illnesses.
And, said Dr. Bruce Wright, director of HWS, faculty might want to consider a contingency plan if there is a spike in cases. “It is important for faculty to consider how they will manage students contracting influenza-like illness, particularly as we approach finals and the end of semester,” he said. The CDC and HWS are continuing to recommend that anyone who experiences flu-like symptoms self-isolate to prevent the spread of virus.
Although H1N1 nasal mist began arriving in mid-October, the shipments have been relatively small, making it difficult to schedule campus-wide flu clinics. The H1N1 flu shots began arriving Nov. 2, but again, those shipments were small as well.
Across the country H1N1 shipments have been smaller than expected and later than expected because of delays in the manufacture and distribution of the vaccine, but that appears to be changing.
“We received substantial shipments just in the last four days,” Adams said, and because of that about 400 students were able to get vaccinated. That’s in addition to the couple hundred that received the vaccination before that.
Earlier this month, concerned that Whitman County might not receive adequate doses for such a large student population, WSU officials sent e-mails to parents and posted notices on My WSU and the WSU Alerts page recommending that students try to get the vaccine while at home over Thanksgiving break. But, with the recent shipments, it’s likely that getting the vaccine on campus would be easier than trying to track it down during Thanksgiving break.
Campus health officials say they are out of the nasal mist vaccine for H1N1 and they are also out of the seasonal flu vaccine. But, the seasonal flu vaccine is still available through the Whitman County Health Department and some local healthcare providers.
“People have to keep their eyes and ears open so they can be alert for when doctors have seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccine,” Moody said. Pullman residents who have not yet been vaccinated should check with their local healthcare provider.
Along with children between 6 months and 24 years, other priority groups are pregnant women and anyone with an underlying or chronic health concern.
Moody and Adams said it appears that both the seasonal flu and H1N1 are making the rounds on the Palouse, though H1N1 is much less active than it was early this fall and the seasonal flu is just beginning.
Whitman County has had two confirmed cases of influenza B, Moody said. The seasonal flu vaccine does include a strain of influenza B.
Good hand hygiene is key to preventing not just the flu, but colds and other viruses that circulate at this time of the year. Tips include: cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue away; wash your hands often with soap and water; avoid touching your hands to your nose, mouth or eyes.
