COUNTY SUSPENDING 189 FLU-SHOT CLINICS.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Los Angeles County health officials announced Friday that they would suspend 189 flu-shot clinics that have traditionally vaccinated up to 130,000 poor residents a year.

The decision was forced on the county because of the nationwide shortage of vaccine and leaves many poor people - including toddlers and seniors, who are more susceptible to contracting the disease - without protection. The county is trying to buy vaccine from private doctors and drug stores to help head off a health-care crisis.

``We are aggressively trying to obtain more vaccine for clinics and hospitals,'' Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, the county public health officer, said at a downtown news conference. ``If we get enough vaccine, we will quickly reinstitute the clinics.''

The clinics were scheduled to begin Oct. 18 so residents would be inoculated before a flu outbreak expected to hit in late November or December.

But the vaccine crisis erupted this week when British health officials pulled the license of Chiron Corp., a supplier of half of the U.S. supplies, because of contamination issues.

Local and state officials again urged health-care providers Friday to reserve the shots for high-risk patients - children under 23 months, seniors over 65 and those with chronic medical conditions.

And they also asked healthy residents to avoid shots so that high-risk residents could be vaccinated.

``Stand aside and help those at risk,'' Fielding said. ``Save a shot.''

To prevent contracting or spreading the flu, Fielding implored residents to practice healthy hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently and staying home if sick.

Instead of its outreach clinics, the county will distribute its meager vaccine supplies to nursing homes and hospitals and clinics that provide care for high-risk children. Last year's clinics inoculated 130,000 residents.

Of the roughly 160,000 flu vaccine doses ordered by the county, only 15,000 doses of adult vaccine and 5,800 children's vaccine were delivered.

The county expects to receive 26,000 more doses that were ordered from Aventis Pasteur, one of two firms that supply the nation's 100 million flu shots. The county is on a waiting list for 30,000 more doses, though officials doubt they'll get them.

A county health center doctor in the San Fernando Valley said the vaccine shortage would have a disproportionate impact on the poor.

``This is bad news,'' said Dr. Lionel Cone, a pediatrician and chief physician at ValleyCare Mid-Valley Comprehensive Health Center in Van Nuys, where one of 189 clinics was to be held.

``People who are poor are at greater risk of certain communicable diseases because of their living conditions, so it's a real problem,'' he said. ``We have nothing right now. We'd better hope we do not have a bad flu season.''

Pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and doctors across the county will receive 1.8 million flu vaccine doses this year, down from the 3.5 million normally received. The DHS estimates the high-risk population to be 2.8 million, of which about half come forward for their annual vaccine.

The DHS is now conducting a survey of pharmacies and doctors to ascertain how much vaccine is available in Los Angeles County. An appeal will soon be made to buy private stocks of available vaccine.

This week, Kaiser Permanente, the region's largest HMO, said it had received only 40 percent of an order destined for 700,000 flu shot patients. A Long's Drugs spokeswoman said it would shortly suspend its clinics.

Meanwhile, some private physicians report supplies of 1,000 doses or more of influenza vaccine.

``We are prepared to purchase vaccine as it becomes available,'' said Dr. Robert J. Kim-Farley, DHS director of communicable disease control and prevention.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky expressed outrage against a system where one vaccine maker outside the country could hold an entire nation hostage. A health deputy for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich also expressed her concern.

``This is a colossal screw-up on a national level, something that everybody in America will pay a medical price for,'' said Yaroslavsky, who is diabetic but will give up his flu shot.

``Unless there's a sudden infusion of vaccine, there will be a lot of people rolling the dice this year.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

THE DETAILS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend flu shots for children from 6 to 23 months old; adults 65 years old and up; pregnant women; people with chronic medical conditions; residents of nursing homes and long-term care centers; health care workers involved in direct patient care; and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months old.

Doctors also advise that those who don't get shots avoid sneezing or coughing on others, wash their hands frequently and avoid going to work if sick.

For information on upcoming flu-shot clinics, call the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services information line at [phone], or First5LAconnect at [phone].

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