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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 8, 2004

Flu Vaccine Recommendations Broadened

Vaccination now available to those targeted before shortage announced

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(Juneau) - The Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Health announced today that Alaska's influenza vaccine recommendations are being broadened effective immediately to include those targeted prior to this season's vaccine shortage. Because vaccine availability is still limited, this expansion does not include vaccination of members of the general population who do not fall into the target groups.

Effective immediately, influenza vaccine may be used to vaccinate these additional groups:

  • All individuals age 50 to 64 years
  • Other personnel in hospital and outpatient-care settings, including medical emergency response workers (expanded from health-care providers with direct patient contact).
  • Employees of nursing homes and chronic-care facilities who have contact with patients or residents.
  • Employees of assisted living and other residences for individuals at increased risk.
  • Persons who provide home care to individuals in high-risk groups.
  • Household members (including children) of individuals in high-risk groups.
  • Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children, newborn to age 23 months (expanded from 0 to 6 month-old infants).

Individuals in the following groups remain a high priority, if they have not yet been vaccinated:

  • Age 65 or older.
  • Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities housing people of any age with chronic medical conditions.
  • Adults and children who have chronic disorders of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, including asthma.
  • Adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes mellitus), renal dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies, or immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
  • Children and adolescents (age 6 months to 18 years) receiving long-term aspirin therapy (might be at risk for developing Reye syndrome after influenza infection).
  • Women who will be pregnant during the influenza season.
  • Infants 6 to 23 months of age.

Following the early October announcement that about half of the expected supply of influenza vaccine in the U.S. would be unavailable this season, the Alaska Division of Public Health (DPH) issued revised recommendations restricting vaccine use to those persons (including infants) at greatest risk of complications, health care workers providing direct patient care, and out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children less than 6 months of age.

Since the recommendations were restricted, the Alaska Division of Public Health has distributed additional vaccine as it has become available, closely monitored vaccine inventories in public and private provider offices, and redistributed vaccine where appropriate. Numerous outreach efforts have been conducted around the state in an effort to provide vaccine to high risk Alaskans.

"Every effort has been made to assure Alaska's most vulnerable populations have been vaccinated," said Laurel Wood, Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager. "It's important that those in the previously identified high risk groups and those identified in these new recommendations receive a vaccination."

Although Alaska originally received proportionately more vaccine than was available in many states in the country, it now appears that national vaccine distribution has become more balanced. Increasingly fewer states are reporting an inability to obtain vaccine for their high risk populations. At the same time, vaccine remains available in Alaska within provider's offices.

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For more information, please contact

Sherry Hill
Special Assistant to the Commissioner
Juneau Office: (907) 465-1618
Anchorage: (907) 269-7800
Cell: (907) 321-2838
Email: sherry_hill@health.state.ak.us

Jeff Kasper
Project Director
Juneau Office: (907) 465-8194
Email: jeff_kasper@health.state.ak.us