Flu essentials: Staying healthy is tough, but not impossible

"It's better to be safe than sorry," said Thomson, of Edgewater. "I rather grab the vaccine than find myself out of work for a few days because I'm sick."

Swine flu has become somewhat feared worldwide, thanks in part to the World Health Organization declaring it a pandemic--the first flu global epidemic in about 40 years. Even celebrities are not immune--"Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint, Rachel Maddow, Melissa Rycroft of "Dancing with the Stars" and Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell have said they have been infected.

Medical experts say this flu is a serious problem, especially for people 24 years old and younger. Health officials who talked to RedEye cautioned that young adults are at a higher risk for contracting swine flu because they have less immunity than older people who have been exposed to flu strains for many years. Also young adults--especially college students--tend to interact in close quarters with their peers, increasing their chances of exposure.

Because young adults are at high risk, health experts say they should be cautious of their contact with others and take care in their hygiene practices.

"You've really got to do all the precautions that you read about," said Dr. Margaret Lewin, medical director of Cinergy Health in New York. "You're just going to have to use much better hygiene than usual, and if you're sick, you're going to have to stay home."

Chicagoans should wash their hands regularly with soap and water, keep their hands away from their eyes, nose and mouth, avoid sharing glasses and straws, cover their mouths with a tissue when coughing and maintain a "social distance"--3 feet or more--from someone who is coughing or sneezing, said Sharon Welbel, Cook County Health and Hospitals System hospital epidemiologist.

Welbel said it wasn't necessary to wear a surgical face mask, which quickly became a symbol of the swine flu hysteria in the spring.

"I think that the possibility of getting this infection is a very real possibility for any [young person] who didn't get it in the spring season," Welbel said. "Yes, one could get it, but that doesn't mean that one needs to be frightened about it because it's been a mild disease in most cases."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 36,000 people die of seasonal flu-related causes each year, while more than 800 Americans have died from swine flu, according to news reports. The difference is that the seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly and infants while people ages 5 to 24 have the highest rate of swine flu infection, according to the CDC.

The virus has struck young people locally. St. Charles East High School will keep its doors closed through Friday after more than 900 students reported flu-like symptoms Tuesday, the Tribune reported. Francis W. Parker School in Lincoln Park also canceled classes earlier this month after about 100 students were sent home with flu symptoms. The school has since reopened.

Two weeks ago, a 14-year-old Naperville student died after contracting the virus. DuPage County Health Department officials said the student also had a "serious heart condition" that "strongly contributed" to her death, according to the Tribune.

To help prevent contracting the virus, Welbel said, Chicagoans should follow CDC guidelines on swine flu vaccinations. The CDC recommends people from 6 months old to 24 years old receive a swine flu inoculation; those older than 25 who have chronic health conditions, pregnant women, infant caregivers and health workers also should be inoculated. The swine flu vaccine is a separate shot from the seasonal flu vaccine, which has its own set of recommendations.

Jason Coupet, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said he plans to get both the seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines. From Oct. 10-16, about 7,100 new cases of an "influenza-like illness" were reported on large college campuses across the country, according to the American College Health Association. The infection rate was about 9 percent higher than the previous week's rate.

Chicago colleges and universities have varying protocols to prepare for flu season. UIC, Coupet's university, has offered free flu shots for students and encourages its students to stay home if they feel sick.

Coupet, 24, said he's "satisfied by the university's attempts" to combat the flu, but he has also stepped up his use of hand sanitizer.

"If I miss instruction, it could set me back weeks or months," said Coupet, who lives in North Lawndale. "Other students in my track I'm sure share the same concerns. They're more likely to show up to school infected."

Free swine flu vaccines

Beginning Saturday morning, free H1N1 flu shots for city residents will be made available on a regular basis at six city college locations for the remainder of flu season. A look
at the facts, locally. TRIBUNE

» Early shipments of the vaccine are being made available only to persons most vulnerable to the H1N1 virus. Those include: pregnant women, all children and young adults ages 6 months to 24 years, people who live with and/or care for infants younger than 6 months of age, people age 25-64 with chronic health conditions and health care workers.

» The Chicago Department of Public Health said people in the high-risk categories should call their doctors to get the shot.

» For those who don't have a personal physician and lack the means to pay for the vaccination, free shots will administered at six locations:
    » Kennedy King College, 6301 S. Halsted St.
    » Olive Harvey College, 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.
    » Richard J. Daley College, 7500 S. Pulaski Rd.
    » Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
    » Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave.
    » Wright College, 4300 N. Narragansett Ave.

Beginning Saturday, the shots will be offered every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m. at those locations.

»Those with egg allergies should not receive the vaccination, the health department said.

» Vaccinations will be available soon at area retail pharmacies, the health department said.

Delays evident as H1N1 vaccines trickle in
Chicago Tribune

Delays in the delivery of H1N1 flu vaccine have forced school districts in the Chicago area and elsewhere to postpone or scale back inoculations scheduled to begin as early as this week for children, one of the virus' most frequent targets and its most prolific carrier.

Uncertainty over when the vaccine will arrive and how much will be available has left vaccination programs in limbo and raised concerns among some physicians and lawmakers that ample supplies of the vaccine will not be available in time to stop the progression of swine flu, which is rapidly spreading through almost every state.

In some school districts, officials canceled clinics after consent forms had been sent home to parents. Hundreds of nurses and doctors who have volunteered to administer vaccines have been placed on standby, and officials have had to field calls from parents concerned that the vaccine is not available either at schools or through their doctors.

"In order to have an impact, we want to vaccinate as many students and staff as possible," said Patricia Markham, spokeswoman for Evanston-Skokie School District 65, which postponed a voluntary vaccine clinic that was to begin Thursday. "Trying to set dates without knowing when the vaccine will arrive is a great challenge."

For months, local health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stressed the severity of swine flu in young people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years and urged them to get vaccinated. But with production of the H1N1 vaccine running behind schedule, many health departments, doctors' offices, hospitals and health clinics have received little or no vaccine.

Federal health officials had expected more than 40 million doses to be shipped out across the country by mid-October. But on Wednesday, officials said only about
24 million doses would be available by the end of the month.

They now say the vaccine should be widely available by mid-November.

The short supply has forced health departments and other facilities that have received small supplies to ration them carefully, targeting only high-risk groups such as pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, health-care and emergency workers, children and young adults.

Illinois, which is expected to receive about 1.5 million doses this season, has received only a total 114,000 doses so far, according to health officials. The Chicago Department of Public Health, which is eligible for about 2 million doses, has received about 100,000 doses, according to Dr. Julie Morita, director of the department's immunization program.

"This is a time for all Chicagoans to be patient and think prevention," she said. "It is fair to say that every Chicagoan who wants an H1N1 vaccination will be able to get one in the weeks and months to come."