October 7, 2009(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- Up to 95 percent of Americans have not caught the swine flu and could benefit from a vaccine, federal health officials said Tuesday.
The estimate comes as the first shipments of H1N1 vaccine arrive at health departments nationwide. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius promoted the vaccine Tuesday at a news conference at St. Louis University. "Without jeopardizing any of the safety steps, this vaccine is coming to market and becoming available far more quickly than anybody could have anticipated," Sebelius said.
About 300 people are participating in three H1N1 vaccine trials at SLU, one for healthy adults 18 and older, one for children 6 months to 18 years and one for pregnant women.
One dose of H1N1 vaccine will be enough for most people. Children 6 months to 9 years old will require two shots. People develop immunity to the flu about eight to 10 days after receiving the vaccine, or twice as fast as expected.
Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., announced some specifics on Missouri's allotment of H1N1 vaccine. About 35,000 doses arrived in the state Monday, an additional 70,000 are expected later this week and 295,000 by mid-October. The first vaccines are going to high-priority groups, including paramedics and schoolchildren.
The Rockwood and Hazelwood school districts, because of their large size and high levels of flu, will receive between 300 and 400 doses this week. Immunizations will start once parental consent is secured.
The initial vaccines come in a nasal spray, for use only in healthy people ages 2 to 49. Pregnant women and anyone with asthma, heart disease or other chronic conditions will have to wait for the first shots to arrive, expected in mid-October. Health officials said mass quantities of vaccine would not be available until late November or early December.
Reports of flu symptoms are on the rise. St. Louis Children's Hospital opened on Tuesday one of two tents in the parking garage to handle overflow from the emergency department. About 30 patients were treated in the tent for various minor complaints, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A Hazelwood Central High School student did have the flu when she died last month, but the cause of death is listed as stroke. Further testing could still implicate H1N1 in the death of Asia Conley, 14, St. Louis County health officials said.
"This flu is different because it's a young person's flu," Sebelius said.
Copyright (C) 2009, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
