JACKSON - Mississippi could have a fresh batch of flu vaccine next month, but the best prevention method is hygiene among those already infected, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Mary Currier.
Currier said Monday that the Centers for Disease Control has purchased some flu vaccine from foreign providers, but it could be mid January before it arrives in Mississippi.
This is the first year that the Mississippi Department of Health's supply of the vaccine has run out, Currier said. She said MDH has given about 140,000 flu shots, and the MDH pharmacy still has some pediatric vaccine for 6-35 month old children.
And for those ages, 5-49 years old who aren't at high risk for complications, FluMist is available.
In the meantime, Currier said people with flu symptoms should stay home from work or school.
Those infected can avoid spreading the flu by coughing and sneezing into a tissue, and then discarding that immediately, she said. She said people with the flu should also wash their hands often.
For holiday travelers, Currier's advice: "The best thing you can do if you're going to sit at the airport, is don't sit next to someone who's coughing and sneezing."
Currier said the vaccine this year doesn't prevent the most common strain.
"The CDC is doing studies to look at the (vaccine's) effectiveness," she said. "Every year it's a gamble if the virus in the vaccine is going to match what's going around."
Nationally, the flu kills about 36,000 people a year, and drug companies and academic researchers say they could reduce the lead time and prepare more effective vaccines by incubating the virus in monkey cells rather than eggs - and by using genetic engineering to remove much of the guesswork.
Last year in Mississippi, nearly 800 died from influenza and pneumonia, the most common complication of the flu. This year MDH is trying to confirm one possible flu death on the Coast, Currier said. The flu death count is tallied using death certificates because the flu is not a reportable disease in Mississippi.
Currier said reports from 45 physicians and emergency rooms state wide are used to measure the proportion of patients with flu-like illnesses to those without. That proportion has remained steady at 17-20 percent over the last four weeks she said. The highest it can go is 20-25 percent, she said.
Currier agreed that stepped up disease prevention is vital to preventing a global outbreak. - like the flu outbreak in 1918 that claimed 21 million lives.
"If we're going to be prepared for a pandemic, like occurred in 1918, we need to have enough vaccine for every man, woman and child," Currier said, referring to the influenza outbreak that claimed 21 million lives worldwide. "We have to have at least a quicker way to make the vaccine so we can gear up."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
