By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

There will be none of last year’s panic and long lines when it comes to flu shots this year.

“We do not anticipate a shortage of flu vaccine,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s public health director.

Mills is urging young children, the elderly, and caregivers – usually they’re the most at risk – to get their shots in the next few weeks.

The state wants to make sure those people come first.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state’s public health program believe those most vulnerable to the health effects of flu should be vaccinated before Oct. 24, Mills said. “We are asking others not in these groups to wait until after Oct. 24,” she said in a prepared statement.

People seen as having the highest priority for early flu shots are:

• 65 years and older.

• 2-64 years of age with chronic diseases such as asthma or cancer, or other co-morbid conditions.

• Infants 6-23 months old.

• Residents of long-term care facilities.

• Pregnant women.

• Health-care personnel who provide direct patient care.

• Caregivers of children under 6 months of age.

“People are asking what this coming season will be like. The most predictable thing about flu is that it is unpredictable,” Mills said. “What we do know is that it usually makes an appearance in Maine in November, and peaks anytime between December and March.”

Last year’s flu season, while complicated by early season vaccine shortages, was relatively mild in severity both in Maine and nationwide, she said.

However, she also noted that two Maine children died of influenza last winter, a reminder that even in a mild season, flu is deadly, Mills said.

Ill? Stay home

“Whether or not you get vaccinated, it is important for all of us to do our part to stop the spread of flu and other winter viruses by covering our coughs and sneezes, washing our hands, and staying home if we’re ill,” Mills said.

Last year’s flu vaccine shortage came about after health authorities in Great Britain impounded virtually all of one drug company’s supply, citing problems with impurities.

The shortage, which affected all areas of the country, resulted in some people panicking while others queued up in long lines seeking shots whenever they became available.

Hospitals in Lewiston staged clinics that saw hundreds of people at times waiting on sidewalks to get an inoculation. Shots were limited to people who managed to get letters from their doctors verifying that they were in high-risk groups.

Mills said that this year doctors and other health-care providers should be able to give appointments for flu shots or refer patients to places where shots are available.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is distributing about 140,000 flu vaccine doses to about 1,000 doctors and other health-care providers.

For more information on flu, people may read the “Influenza 2005-2006” item at www.mainepublichealth.gov.

Some private companies also are offering shots at clinics that will be held at supermarkets and pharmacies. People may go to findaflushot.com for a schedule of those clinics.