Hamilton County residents should find it easier to get flu shots this flu season because more vaccine is being produced this year than last, representatives of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department said Monday.

Manufacturers are expected to produce as many as 97 million doses of vaccine for this flu season, compared to the 61 million doses that were available during the 2004-2005 season, according to health department administrator Becky Barnes.

This year, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – which last year asked healthy individuals to skip flu shots so they could go to high-risk individuals – has approved giving flu shots to the general public starting Oct. 24.

The health department has ordered more than 12,500 doses of vaccine this year and so far has received about 25 percent of that total, Ms. Barnes said.

Flu shots will be given to high risk patients only during the week of Oct. 17-21.

Pneumococcal shots will be available at the same time for people who need them, she said.

The cost of a flu shot is $25, while the price of a pneumococcal vaccination is $38. However, people who get both shots will pay a special reduced total cost of just $48.

Any patient who gets a flu and/or a pneumococcal vaccination(s) also can get a tetanus shot free of charge, if the patient has not had a tetanus shot within the past 10 years.

The cost of pediatric flu vaccine, which is given to patients aged six months through 18 years, is $20.
Medicare and TennCare payments will be accepted, as will cash and personal checks.

As they were last year, shots will be given by appointment, Ms. Barnes noted.

“We found that the public response to being able to get an appointment and to knowing that vaccine would be available for you at that time was overwhelmingly positive,” she explained.

High risk patients can make appointments for the week of Oct. 17-21 by calling the Flu Vaccine Hotline (209-8393) only on Saturday, Oct. 15, starting at 8:30 a.m. The hotline will remain open that day until 4 p.m. or until appointments for all available vaccine have been scheduled.

The schedule for future hotline operations and vaccine appointment availability will be announced later.

In order to make it easier for patients to schedule appointments, the health department has more than doubled the capacity of its hotline to accept simultaneous calls, Ms. Barnes said.

“The additional telephone lines should make it much easier and far less frustrating to schedule an appointment this year,” she said.

Flu shots will be given at all health department clinics and at some off-site locations.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza virus. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times complications of the disease can lead to death. The best way to prevent this illness is by getting a flu shot each fall.

This year’s flu vaccine protects against three strains of influenza: A/New Caledonia, A/New York (A/California), and B/Jiangsu/(B/Shanghai.)

According to the CDC, every year in the United States, on average, 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu. Of those, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu.

Some people are at high risk for serious flu complications. The CDC recommends that everyone who is at high risk of developing flu-related complications get flu shots.

People considered at high risk of complications include:
- Children aged 6 months to 23 months
- People age 65 or older
- People ages 2 to 64 with a chronic medical condition — such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease or lung disease — that could predispose them to complications
- Pregnant women
- Residents of chronic care facilities
- Health care workers who have direct patient contact
- Children on chronic aspirin therapy
- Close household contacts of children less than 6 months of age
Symptoms of flu include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea also can occur but are more common in children than in adults.

Persons who suspect they have the flu should stay home, wash their hands frequently, cover their noses or mouths when coughing or sneezing, and drink plenty of fluids. They also can contact their physician, who may prescribe antiviral drugs that can help reduce the time it takes for symptoms to improve in uncomplicated illness caused by influenza virus.