Flu vaccine expected to be highly effective this season

By Mary Garrigan, Journal staff | Wednesday, October 08, 2008

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This year's influenza vaccine is expected to be anywhere from 70 percent to 90 percent effective for most people, a much better performance against the disease than last year's batch, state health officials said Tuesday.

The flu vaccine for the 2007-08 flu season had a disappointing overall effectiveness rate of only 44 percent, according to state epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger. A Wisconsin study put the vaccine's effectiveness against influenza A at 58 percent and only 35 percent against influenza B.

The vaccine developed for the 2008-09 season has three components: Two influenza A strains and one influenza B strain. "All three components are new this year," Kightlinger said Monday during a teleconference with medical personnel statewide. "We hope with the reconfiguration of the vaccine that this year, we have much better efficacy."

Unlike other vaccinations, flu vaccines must be changed and manufactured each year, based on mutations in the virus worldwide.

Depending on the form of the vaccine and the population receiving it, the '08-09 vaccine is expected to be 77 percent to 91 percent effective in reducing the illness in children ages 1-15; in adults 65 and younger, it will be 70 percent to 90 percent effective in preventing the illness when the vaccine components are well matched; in older adults, it will be 58 percent effective in preventing illness, up to 70 percent effective in preventing hospitalizations and pneumonia and 80 percent effective in preventing death, officials predict.

For the first time, the federal government recommends all children between 5 years old and 18 years old get influenza vaccinations. Also new this year, the state Department of Health is asking schools to voluntarily report weekly during the flu season the number of students absent because of illness.

Last year, South Dakota was the first state in the U.S. to offer free vaccinations to all children. At the first Rapid City dispensing event in 2007, 1,946 children were vaccinated against influenza, Linda Marchand, regional manager for the state health department, said. This year, Marchand hopes to vaccinate 5,000 children. The 2008 event, to be held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, will be prepared for as many as 8,000 children and teens who have not yet reached their 19th birthday.

"We set up as if it were an emergency situation, so we get a test of our systems," Marchand said. The event is good practice for what would happen in case of a pandemic flu outbreak, a terrorist attack or natural disaster that requires the dispensing of some medication to the general public.

There are 146 million doses of flu vaccine available this year. South Dakota medical facilities have already received 33,430 doses; another 24,000 will be shipped this week. About 30,000 more are expected in November, officials said.

Free influenza vaccinations for all children ages 6 months through 18 years of age will be offered Nov. 12 at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center during a mass immunization event sponsored by the Rapid City  office of the state Department of Health.