Find A Flu Shot

Good link, Phoenix. Thank you.

Yesterday I nagged my husband (long term diabetic with heart, eye and kidney complications) into going to his Internist's for a flu shot. His internist had NO vaccine at all--and no prospects of getting any.

Well, I'm glad, that here, you just go to your GP/family doctor/local public health department and get the shot. (Although, they [= public health authorities/doctor associations/health insurance companies] have to advertise that people take this -free- vaccination.)

It's just a problem with the U.S. supply. Odd that there hasn't been more coverage of what went wrong with their stock (decent coverage of it here in Canada).

No problems with the stock here.

The vast majority of MDs round these parts have not supplied flu shots for the last few years. I have always had a sneaking suspicion that they stopped giving them because they were not cost effective to their practice, but I AM a little jaded when it comes to medical care.

Up until this year, most of the supermarkets and drugstores in the area offered the shots through an independent company, with plenty to go around. My worry this year though, is that because supplies are limited, a lot of people who need them will not get any.

ehBeth:


http://www.showmenews.com/2004/Oct/20041005News024.asp

If one were REALLY paranoid, one might wonder how the stock of flu vaccine became contaminated!

I have mixed feelings about whether I should push to get a flu shot or not. I am not sixty five, though in the approach lane, and I do have asthma, but not very bad asthma. I get it, for example, when I clean the house..

My business partner has quite serious asthma, and she is getting a shot, per the md, once and if they get the vaccines.
I don't want to keep anyone who really needs a shot by taking part of a short supply, but I also don't want to be stupid re the asthma. Hmmm.

ok to maybe everyone who get the shot is gunna die or viceversa - conspiracy theory #9,985

My husband, son and I all got our flu shots at Costco last Thursday after waiting in line for over two hours. My daughter, who is a diabetic, was supposed to get her yearly flu shot from her doctor closer to the end of October, but with the vaccine being so scarce, and the children's clinics in the area not even having enough vaccine for their high risk patients, we didn't want to wait and took her to a flu shot clinic being held in a grocery store about 15 miles from here. Had to wait in line for over two hours again, but she got one. What a relief! (BTW...although my husband and son are not in the high risk category themselves, they have been instructed by my doctors and my daughter's doctors to get them each year because she and I are both high risk.)

Here's the link to a site called FluWatch.com where you can track the progress of the flu in the U.S. by zip codes. It takes a few seconds to load in.
http://www.fluwatch.com/index2.html

And if any one is looking for another place to look for flu shots in Oregon and Washington, there is a site called GetAFluShot.com where you might be able to find a few more options:
http://www.getaflushot.com/


Phoenix...

Wasn't sure if you'd seen the actual cause of the contamination of the flu vaccine, so this is a portion of what the AP said about it a couple of days ago (I've just cut and pasted a small part of the article because you'd have to sign up for the site it's at to read it otherwise):

U.S. Seeks to Salvage Flu Shots From Impounded U.K. Supply
THOMAS WAGNER The Associated Press
London

"...U.S. officials said they had been expecting only that Britain would withhold a small amount of the vaccine because of contamination with a bacterium called Serratia, a common contaminant in labs that can cause urinary tract infections, wound infections and pneumonia..."

Something that I also read in one of the news sites at the same time, was that the U.K. had, at the time that they'd first alerted the U.S. Dept. of Health of the problems with the flu vaccine, made arrangements with a half a dozen other vaccine producers to insure that the people of the U. K. would have enough flu vaccine this season even if the stuff from Chiron didn't pan out. They were astonished that the U.S. hadn't done the same. (I believe that I saw that on the BBC's website yesterday or the day before.)


osso...

Go get the shot! If you have asthma at all, then you are one of those who would be considered high risk of complications from the flu. Also, if you get the flu and expose your business partner to it you're putting her at higher risk.


Noddy...
You and your husband should both do whatever it is that you need to to get the flu shot this year. It could save his life.
Did you see this article in the NYT? Florida is mentioned in it re the vaccine shortage problems there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/national/07flu.html


AND...

This year's sudden flu shot shortage may have some health consequences beyond just this year. Researchers have found that alternately getting and skipping flu shots may actually increase your chance of getting sick.
http://www.komotv.com/healthwatch/story.asp?ID=33406

I'm so screwed!
no shot, no sick leave, and no vacation

having had collasped lungs. pneumonia, and asthma

There's my ethical problem. I'd rather have Husker get my flu shot, if only I could do that. My business partner will have some immunity from her flu shot. She's been sick three times this summer - a flu and two colds - to my none.

My lungs are pretty strong.

husker...

Then it's even more imperative that you try to find a flu shot. From what I understand, in WA the flu shot "clinics" will be held for the public until October 16th unless the vaccine that the clinics have runs out before that. Check out the links that have been provided before (I'll put them here again) to see where you might be able to get a shot in your area.

GetAFluShot.com (for Washington and Oregon only)
http://www.getaflushot.com/

and

FindAFluShot.com (most all states)
http://www.findaflushot.com/lungusa/


osso...
You're still in a high risk group having asthma, and if the flu hits as hard as they expect it to this year...

If you are considered high risk for complications of the flu, the American Lung Association encourages you to "stick with the flu shot." You are at high risk if you:
Have chronic disorders of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, including asthma. Asthma is not exacerbated by the injection of the influenza vaccine according to an American Lung Association study. (N Engl J Med 2001; 345:1529-36.) However, only 10% of children with asthma and 39% of adults with asthma get the flu annually.

http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=34893&ct=233611&notoc=1

BTW...

The flu shots are about $20.00, $15.00 if you are a member of Costco, and I believe that he pnumonia shots are $25.-$30. Most people only need to get one of those during their lifetime, but I'm under doctor's orders to get one every 5 years.

If you do go to one of the "clinics" be sure to call in advance of going (like the night before) to be sure that they're still going to have one at that location, and then get there as early as you can. We had to wait in line 2 hours at each of the clinics that we went to, but it was worth it.

I know I am at risk, Matrix, but not as much as some other folks. There are no flu clinics scheduled here. The doctors don't have the vaccine, at least to date. If there are only going to be a few vials, I am not the most needy person to get the shot. In any case, I will be discussing this with my physician.

Boy, did I have a morning. I took my husband to the local Publix for his shot. It was a little after 9, and the shots didn't start until 10. There were hundreds of people snaked around the building, and it was starting to drizzle.

We decided to go to another store in a neighboring town, that did not have as many seniors. We arrived about 9:40. Here we had better luck. They were still giving out numbers. He was 68. I wrote my mother's name down, and she was 69. I left hubby in the market, and got my mother from the senior center. When I got back, I found that there were only 140 shots being given, and many, many people were being turned away.

As luck would have it, #39's wife went home, and the powers-that-be kindly gave my mother the #40. She got her shot, and I took her back to the senior center. When I returned, my husband was still waiting. We finally got out at 12:30.

We had lunch at a restaurant, and went back to the original Publix that is near us to buy some groceries. The nurses were just gathering their paperwork together, and it was 1:30. They had had 180 doses, and had to disappoint a LOT of people.

I really hope that something like this never happens again!

They always say this will be "the worst flu season ever!" and it never is. I am not concerned and I have athsma.

I might be stupid here but seriously, why don't they just make more? Please explain as I am honestly questioning this.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/10/11/us_urged_to_back_flu_shot_production/

Interesting, however, that the really big problem is only in the USA, while in the UK "their might be probelms" and in all other countries there's no problem at all ... at least, until now.

canada seems to have a sufficient supply of flu vaccine. we had to see our physician last week and he told us that he expects to have the vaccine by the middle of october. btw. there is no charge for the flu shot for seniors in canada. hbg