So far, vaccine allocations not keeping up with H1N1 cases.
Posted by Guest Blogger on Fri, Dec 04, 2009 @ 05:06 PM
By Marty Ogle, M.D.
Here's some encouraging news for my emergency physician colleagues. According to a story in the LA Times, more than 38 million doses of vaccine for the H1N1 influenza are now available for ordering - 11 million more than last week and double the number available two weeks ago. These figures come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 8 million doses are expected to arrive this week, says Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
About 91 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine have also been shipped, and manufacturers expect to ship a record 114 million doses before the season is over, she said.
The not so good news is that widespread influenza activity is being seen in 48 states and, according to Dr. Schuchat, virtually all of those cases are H1N1. Influenza-like illnesses during the first week of November accounted for 7.7% of visits to doctors' offices, down slightly from 8% the week before, but still much higher than in a "normal" flu season.
Other interesting stats:
- More than half of the hospitalizations continue to be in people under are 25.
- 90% of the deaths are in people under 65. In a typical flu season, the majority of deaths are in those over 65.
- There have now been 129 pediatric deaths from laboratory-confirmed swine flu, and the number is increasing.
The CDC has ordered 10,000 treatment courses of the intravenous antiviral drug peramivir for its national stockpile. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the experimental drug for severely ill patients who for one reason or another cannot use the oral or intranasal antivirals.
All of which means, the H1N1 pandemic is definitely here. Even cats are getting it. Emergency rooms need to be ready - not just for H1N1 cases, but for seasonal flu cases. While the best way to combat the flu is to stay home until symptoms are gone, it's unlikely most people will do this (especially in this economy where many folks are afraid to miss work). The bottom line is we need to be on our toes for a long winter.
How is your emergency department coping with H1N1? Is your vaccine allocation keeping pace with need? Please forward your comments.