Officials warn of seasonal flu as H1N1 decreases

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[November 30, 2009]

Officials warn of seasonal flu as H1N1 decreases

Nov 30, 2009 (Cleburne Times-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Although officials are hesitant to mark the beginning of October as the probable peak of the H1N1 flu virus in North Texas, they warn that seasonal flu is expected to return in time for the holidays.

As serious cases of the swine flu decrease, some medical providers in Johnson County report they have vaccines while others are waiting for shipments.

Updates from the Texas Department of State Health Services state that 3.6 million doses were ordered Nov. 19 of the 4.7 million allocated for Texas, and they expect about 13 million doses by January.

The latest numbers show a total of 10,620 doses shipped to Johnson County as of Nov. 19.

"We are seeing some slight decreases in flu activity, but flu activity right now is still much higher than what we normally see this time of year," said Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the DSHS. "Flu is very unpredictable, and we are not at a point where we can say that we're out of the woods at this point in time. It's too early to tell if the worst is over." Nurses in the office of Dr. Michael Rhodes at 1161 Wilshire Blvd. in Burleson said they have vaccines just for their patients, and Dr. Erik Furman's office located at 505 N. Ridgeway Drive in Cleburne has some as well.

Both offices are seeing decreasing cases of the flu.

"We continue to receive vaccines from the [Centers for Disease Control], and we get updates every two days from the CDC on the number of doses coming to Texas," Williams said. "Vaccine availability is increasing, but we're not at a point where we're meeting demand. There's a tremendous demand for the vaccine, but the supply simply isn't there yet to vaccinate every person today who wants it." David Moore, administrator for Family Medicine Associates at 220 N. Ridgeway Drive in Cleburne, said the virus probably peaked for them in early October, but the seasonal flu usually flares up in December through January.

"We have not seen much as far as seasonal flu yet, but as far as the swine flu is concerned, our numbers are way down," he said. "I'm thinking the regular annual flu that we normally see is still in front of us." Williams said they expect the vaccine supply to increase in the coming weeks and that the availability hinges on the capacity of manufacturers.

A new vaccine locator tool is available on TexasFlu.org, she said, that shows nearby providers offering H1N1 vaccines within a zip code.

To see more of the Cleburne Times-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Cleburne Times-Review, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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