Because northern Nevada residents
have been slow to get flu shots this year,
health officials are beginning to have mild
worries about a widespread outbreak of the
flu early next year an outbreak that
could lead to higher absenteeism at area
businesses.
"When people are not protected,
they're putting themselves at risk," said
Wendy Latham, R.N., assistant division
director for community and clinical health
service at the Washoe County Health
Department.
A flu-like disease that kept many workers
at home for a day or two in recent
weeks only hints at the larger problems
that would accompany a flu outbreak.
Latham said last week that it's impossible
to predict the severity of the flu season,
which typically begins shortly after the
first of the year and extends into February.
But this much is known: Area residents
have been slow to get their shots.
St. Mary's Health Network, for
instance, has 8,000 doses of flu vaccine
remaining from the 27,000 it ordered. At
this time last year, St. Mary's had 3,000
doses remaining from a similar order of
27,000.
Mary Bristol, a wellness specialist for
St. Mary's, offered some guesses at the
reasons for the slow vaccination activity:
* There have been no reported cases of
flu in the region.
* Unusually warm autumn weather
kept residents from thinking about wintertime
diseases.
* Ample supplies of vaccine this year
meant that residents didn't feel the same
urgency as past years, when short supplies
raised the danger that clinics would run
out before procrastinators could get their
shots.
Northern Nevada employers increasingly
recognize the threat to productivity
posed by the flu, said Lori Mitchell, who
oversees wellness programs for Washoe
Health Systems.
Washoe Health, she said, has conducted
flu-shot clinics at about 300 companies
this year and the number grows
each year.
The recent cases of a flu-like bug, she
said, only hints at the problems that
might accompany a wider outbreak of
influenza.
The flu, Mitchell said, sometimes can
develop into pneumonia, a malady that
keeps workers off the job for two or three
weeks.
There's been no lack of promotion by
area health agencies to get residents to
flu-shot clinics.
The Washoe County Health
Department, for instance, won the donation
of a Volkswagen Beetle from Lithia
Motors and painted the car as The Flu
Bug. The health department has used
The Flu Bug to promote awareness of the
vaccination campaign, said Phil Ulibarri,
who handles marketing and outreach for
the department.
St. Mary's, meanwhile, has promoted a
campaign in which residents get $5 off
the price of flu shots if they bring a can
of food for the needy.
"It's not too late to inoculate," said
Mitchell, who said the concern about low
vaccination rates is shared by the Centers
for Disease Control, which sees similar
lack of urgency among people nationwide.
Should a widespread outbreak occur
next year, the health department has a
plan and a modest supply of vaccine to
protect residents at particular risk.
Where you can get a flu shot
Still need a flu shot? Here's some clinic times:
* On three Tuesdays Dec. 17, Dec. 31 and Jan. 7 Washoe Health will
provide shots at Park Lane Mall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
* On three Saturdays Dec. 21, Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 St. Mary's will provide
shots at its Wellness Center inside Scolari's at Caughlin Ranch. The clinic
will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
* From 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, Jan. 3,
and 3-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, St. Mary's will offer vaccinations at its
Community Wellness office at 745 W. Moana Lane.
