AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Maine officials unveiled a flu prevention program Tuesday designed to promote basic hygiene.
Joining with the state health bureau to sponsor the program is the American Lung Association of Maine. The effort is designed to draw on the expertise and resources of public health officials, doctors, businesses, and non-profit community organizations.
A program poster highlights the importance of hand-washing with soap and of muffling coughs and sneezes.
State officials hope to be able to distribute about 150,000 doses of vaccine to those judged to be most vulnerable to the effects of flu, but they say there is still a gap of about 150,000 doses between this year’s high-risk demand and vaccine available.
The United States is struggling with a shortage of flu vaccine caused by contamination problems at a Chiron Corp. plant in Britain, where 48 million doses destined for the United States were quarantined.
The U.S. government has obtained more than 60 million doses of vaccine through increased production at plants other than Chiron’s in Britain. U.S. officials had hoped to supply 100 million doses this year.
Maine health officials are urging people in high-risk groups who need a flu shot to contact their health care providers to get their names on a list of those who should receive vaccine.
Listed by state health officials as the highest priorities for flu vaccine are all children 6-23 months and children 2-18 years with underlying chronic medical conditions, appropriate residents of long-term care facilities, the most vulnerable adults 65 and older, adults with chronic underlying medical conditions and pregnant women.
Priority groups on standby are health care workers involved in direct patient care and people caring for infants younger than 6 months.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, lauding federal action, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now allocate flu vaccine doses based on a states proportion of at-risk individuals and that this is expected to eliminate the previous shortfall in Maines vaccine order, which will be directed to high-risk individuals.
AP-ES-11-09-04 1549EST
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