Public Health Agency Runs Out of Flu Shots

At the onset of a severe flu season, the Ventura County public health department has run out of flu vaccine, and officials said there is little chance that more serum will be obtained from dwindling state supplies.

Now people who want to ward off the illness will have to pay for a shot at a private health clinic or physician’s office, or go without, county public health workers said Monday.

“Every year we have seen more and more people getting flu shots,” said Lawrence E. Dodds, the county’s public health medical director. “This year we just ran out.”

Since the beginning of November, county health workers administered nearly 18,000 shots, about 1,000 more than last year.

Already the flu and cold season has struck Ventura County with a vengeance.

As of last week, according to health workers, one in three patients visiting large clinics in the county complained of flu-like symptoms, a 10% increase over last year.

The virus--influenza-A--can be fatal for frail, elderly people or people with heart and lung ailments. It is characterized by an abrupt onset of coughing, a sore throat, high fever and aches.

Workers with the California Department of Health Services said they are trying to redistribute the vaccine to areas that have run out, but statewide supplies are low.

Kimberly Becker, the department’s special projects coordinator, said health workers have administered 779,540 shots this year, a 19% increase over last year.

So far, flu outbreaks are widespread throughout the state, although the disease has not been reported in nursing homes and other health institutions, state officials said.

“Usually the season doesn’t start until the end of December,” said Dr. Ronald Roberto, chief of the infectious disease branch of the state Department of Health Services. “It just started coming before Christmas vacation. We had a number of reports of flu-like illness in many schools.”

Before the holidays, Ventura County school officials reported that three times as many students were missing school because of colds and flu than was normal for the season.

At Las Posas Elementary School in Camarillo, 63 students out of 488 phoned in sick before Christmas break. Six of the school’s 18 teachers said they had some type of bug.

County health officials suggest that anyone over 55, especially frail elderly people, should try to get shots at a private clinic to prevent contracting the disease. Also, people who suffer from heart or respiratory disease should take precautions against the flu, health officials said.

Although the costs of shots vary according to each physician, health workers at the nonprofit Saticoy Family Health Care Center said Monday that they will give shots for $7 each to elderly people or others in a high-risk group.

“We’ve seen a lot of flu already,” said Pamela Gorthe, manager of the clinic. “It seems to have hit a lot of people lately.”