Influenza
2004-2005 Season
On October 5, 2004, Chiron
announced that it would be unable to provide influenza vaccine for this
season. Chiron would have supplied almost half of the influenza vaccine
for the United States. This created a significant shortage.
The State of Michigan Department
of Community Health (MDCH) issued an Imminent Danger Order controlling
the distribution of influenza vaccine. This order makes it a
punishable misdemeanor for health care providers who fail to limit
influenza vaccinations to persons in high risk categories.
See the full order.
MDCH also issued a document
which adding clarification of their recommendation to vaccinate
especially vulnerable populations within the CDC Priority Groups.
See the MDCH recommendations.
This year, the health department ordered a
majority of its vaccine from Chiron Corporation, therefore its supply of
vaccine is severely reduced. It has ordered additional vaccine
from Aventis-Pasteur, but there is no certainty how much will ultimately
be allocated to the health department. The health department
is still waiting for assurance that our limited supply of flu vaccine
will arrive. As soon as we have an accurate assessment of vaccine
availability, we will announce our plans for flu shot clinics.
Given the importance of preventing the spread of
influenza this season, the health department has decided to encourage a
wide spectrum of community partners to participate in "Cover
Your Cough" campaign to recommend good hygiene practices.
A variety of excellent posters are available from the CDC to help with
this campaign. These can be downloaded from the CDC’s website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm.
The influenza situations evolves rapidly, both regarding prevention
efforts, and the seasonal spread of illness throughout the population.
Two excellent web resources to stay current with the evolving influenza
situation are:
Influenza on the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website
http://www.cdc.gov/flu
Influenza on the
Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Website
http://www.michigan.gov/influenza
