Swine-flu vaccines to start rolling out in pharmacies this week

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals reported three more deaths from the H1N1, or swine flu, virus.

405031

They include an adult female from the greater New Orleans area, an adult male from the Houma-Thibodaux area, and an adult female from the Lafayette area. So far 14 people have died as a result of the H1N1 virus in Louisiana.

Meantime, the swine flu vaccine is expected to arrive at some pediatricians' offices Wednesday and state health officials estimate that nearly 80,000 people have already been infected here before the vaccine even arrives. ???????

The Department of Health and Hospitals said Louisiana will get 26,000 doses this week.

"It's supposed to start rolling out this week, but it's only the nasal vaccine that's gonna be available," said Dr. Brobson Lutz, physician and New Orleans' former public health director.

Lutz said he's still concerned that those most at-risk for complications from the virus won't get the vaccine soon enough, including school-age children and pregnant women, who can't get the nasal spray. Pregnant women must wait for the shot.

According to DHH, the initial, nasal doses will be targeted at children ages two to five and will be distributed to a list of 50 pediatricians state-wide.

"I'm a little bit disappointed that this has not been administered in the schools," Lutz said. "The way to really get to a mass immunization program, especially involving children is through the schools."

According to DHH officials, the swine flu shots should begin arriving in Louisiana next week. They plan to target pregnant women for the administration of those, and they now say the general public will likely not have access to the H1N1 shot until January.

"80,000 people look to have been infected with the H1N1 virus in the state of Louisiana, but very few of those have been confirmed, less than 1,500," said Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious disease specialist with LSU Health Sciences Center.

Doctors say those who get this year's H1N1 virus are then immune to it, but most physicians aren't testing patients for it and very few know with any certainty whether they actually have a cold, H1N1 or just the seasonal flu.

Doctors often treat the conditions in the same way, regardless of which virus a patient has.

"It's not worthwhile spending the money that it takes to test on a mass basis everybody that comes in with these symptoms. Will that mean some unnecessary vaccinations? Yes. Do I think that's gonna hurt anybody? No. I think it's the most judicious way to handle that situation," Lutz said.

Until more people develop some immunity to the virus, through an infection, or a shot, H1N1 will continue to spread.

In all, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he expects the state to get a total of 900,000 doses.

"Until the vaccine becomes readily available to most people, the immunity is less, and as a result, you're gonna see it pass from anyone who's not immune to the virus, which is most people," Lopez said.