Local doctors question H1N1 priorities

According to local health experts, seniors should receive the H1N1 vaccine, in spite of the Centers for Disease Control ranking them as a low priority when vaccines become available.

"The elderly with different conditions and co-morbidities are the ones more likely to die, which has traditionally been the case with every flu," said Hamid Rayani, lead hospitalist with Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City. "Right now if you look at the mortality rates (of H1N1), those who have died have not been elderly, which is why some say the elderly should not be worried.

"But I’m very skeptical about this because once it spreads to elderly people, I have a feeling we’ll see mortalities because they don’t have enough resistance. We need to prioritize for the elderly with co-morbid conditions and then those (elderly) without co-morbid conditions."

According to the CDC Web site, emergency workers and health-care workers, caregivers, pregnant women, infants and those aged 6 months to 24 years would receive first priority should limited quantities of the vaccines be available when the vaccines are released.

Those 25 to 64 who have health conditions that put them at a higher risk for medical complications should they contract the flu would also be among the priority cases.

Once those demands have been met, healthy individuals age 25 through 64 years could then receive vaccinations, followed by those 65 and older.

The CDC says studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the risk for younger age groups.

But health experts stress seniors should still receive the vaccine.

"Seniors should get both the vaccines, even if they think they had a flu sickness," said Mandy Rai, chairman of infectious diseases at Arrowhead Hospital in Glendale. "Over the past few months (H1N1) has shown really bad outcomes from groups in the high priority, such as younger kids and pregnant women, (and not seniors) because it was felt that seniors had some leftover immunity from previous, similar flus."

Rai said many of those experiencing flu-like symptoms now actually have H1N1, and not seasonal influenza.

"Ninety-nine percent of the illness now is H1N1; that is what the county is seeing, but they aren’t even testing or confirming anymore they are being so inundated," Rai said. "We don’t even know how bad the flu season will be, which typically starts around Christmas."

Rai said she wants seniors to not panic and be reassured there are enough vaccines to go around.

"I would also reassure them in the spectrum of the illness, it has been on the mild side," she said. "But having said that, we don’t know what the next few weeks will bring so we need to be very vigilant."

Receiving influenza and H1N1 vaccinations and practicing common-sense techniques for those most at-risk for contracting H1N1 is needed.

"Don’t go into crowded areas, to the cinemas, kids events or football games," Rai said. "And if somebody is sick, try to avoid exposing it to others."

Joy Slagowski may be reached at 623-876-2514, or jslagowski@yourwestvalley.com.