By Lori EhdeNobles-Rock Public Health officials want area residents to know there is still flu vaccine available.It won’t be available at all to the general, mostly healthy public, but Nobles-Rock Public Health Nurse Virginia Hibma said it’s important for at-risk individuals to be vaccinated."Rock and Nobles counties are sitting pretty good right now," said Hibma, who is the vaccine coordinator for Nobles-Rock Public Health."Large numbers of people at risk have already been done, and we’re encouraging anyone else in the high-risk group who’s deferred to get their shots."She said some health care workers and day-care providers have been holding off so that other more needy patients could be done first."There’s been a lot of ‘Minnesota Nice’ … People who could be at risk have waited, but now we’re encouraging them to please go ahead and get it," Hibma said.Those who qualify are: oPeople 65 years of age or olderoPeople living in nursing homes or other long-term care facilitiesoPeople with chronic health problems (including those younger than 65), such as heart, lung, kidney or diabetic conditionsoPregnant womenoChildren and teens who take aspirinoInfants 6 to 23 months of ageoPeople who live in the same household with children under 6 months of age or who provide care to children under 6 months of age outside the home.Hibma said the flu vaccine shortage this year was caused by a sterilization problem with Chairon, the drug company in Liverpool, England, that produces half the flu vaccine used in the United States.The U.S. manufacturer Aventis, continued its production, but because the process needs to start several months in advance, there’s no way to catch up with demand.Hibma said health care agencies in the state of Minnesota have worked hard to make sure available doses were evenly distributed to the highest-risk individuals first."There’s been great cooperation with all the hospitals and clinics in both (Nobles and Rock) counties, and we’re grateful for that," she said.The flu season typically starts in late December or early January, so Hibma said time will tell whether vaccinations so far are effective.
