COUNTYWIDE : County Fears Flu Vaccine Shortage

Ventura County’s supply of vaccine against the flu will probably run out by year’s end, falling several thousand shots short of the number needed to serve residents, the county’s top public health official said last week.

Dr. Lawrence E. Dodds, county health officer and medical director of the Public Health Services Department, said Friday that only 1,000 doses remain of the original 17,000 doses supplied by the state Department of Health Services.

The shots, which cost $2 to cover the expense of the syringe, are popular among older residents who might suffer complications if they become ill with influenza, Dodds said.

“We have more people getting shots every year,” he said. “We’ve had a tremendous response.”

Dodds said anyone over 55, but especially the frail elderly, should get the shots to prevent contracting the disease. Also, those who suffer from heart or lung disease should take precautions against becoming sick, he said.

“The extra physical demands of the infection can bring very serious complications, including death,” he said. “Every year in the winter we have an excess of deaths, probably 5% to 10%, in the frail elderly because of influenza.”

The live, weakened virus used as a vaccine is not recommended for infants. But Dodds said he recommends that even healthy people get the shots to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill.

“I believe in it,” he said. “I get one every year.”

For information on where and how to receive a shot, call the county’s Public Health Services Department at 652-5918, or contact the county health clinics. Residents can also check with private physicians for flu shots.