By now everyone knows of the flu vaccine shortage resulting from the shutdown of one of the two labs that produce flu vaccine worldwide. The limited doses available must be used for those who face the risk of the flu leading to more serious illness: those with chronic illness and those who care for them, the most senior among us, and infants.

In other years, we are told to get our flu shots early. This year, the message is learn how to prevent the spread of flu.

That message comes from the Federal Centers for Disease Control. The entire healthcare community looks to the CDC in times such as these for direction. The CDC is good, but it can't perform magic, and that's what we all need to accept this year. There simply is no vaccine available locally, though some physicians and hospitals in some parts of the region were fortunate enough to order their vaccine from a vendor whose supplies were not recalled.

There are two alternatives to the vaccine, but they come with restrictions:

• the flu mist is only for healthy people under the age of 50, and pregnant women cannot use it. You'll need a physician's prescription for the mist and your insurance may not cover the cost.
  
• the anti-viral medication, also requiring a prescription, can shorten the duration of the flu and may even lessen the severity, but it must be administered within a day or two of experiencing flu symptoms. Again, your insurance may not cover the cost.
  

So, the direction, thus far, has been well do what your mom told you to do when you marched off on that first day of kindergarten:

• wash your hands with soap and water – frequently
• cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm – not your hands
• and for goodness sakes, keep your hands out of your mouth and away from your nose and eyes, since contaminated hands pass germs easily through these areas.
  

Under the current situation, with only 50 percent of the flu vaccine available nationally, prevention is our best tool to fight the flu – forget the quick fix of a vaccine.

Hmmmm, no quick fix in 2004?
We don't like to hear that.
But that's exactly where we are, so we all must cope with that message.
At the hospital, we have organized a Flu Task Force to plan as best as possible for the implications.

Among other internal strategies, we will make masks and anti-viral hand cleanser available in public areas of the hospital, and we will post signs reminding everyone of mom?s basic hygiene directives.

Beyond that, the exercise of basic common sense can go a long way in preventing the spread of flu: if you have flu-like symptoms, stay home, try to avoid those who are sick with the flu, keep children away from unnecessary visits to hospitals, and limit the number of people you take on hospital visits.

In other words, if aunt Edna is in the hospital, it may be better to give her a call instead of bringing the whole family entourage in to see her.

That basic advice is becoming the dominant message from the healthcare community as we enter the flu season with little or no hope of providing flu vaccine in the quantities normally available at this time of year.

By David Tranchida, Manager of Public Relations and Marketing for The Westerly Hospital.