Medical first-responders waiting on swine flu vaccine

Sara Shepherd

Oct. 31, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- If you're worried about getting your hands on a dose of swine flu vaccine, consider this:

Many of the people charged with plucking the sickest community members from their homes and taking them to hospitals haven't gotten theirs yet.

Medical first-responders are on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of people who should receive the first doses of vaccine, but a nationwide shortage has forced this priority group to wait in line.

Although most suburban ambulance workers and firefighters have been vaccinated, the Kansas City Health Department only this week received doses to begin vaccinating firefighters and Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust crews.

Not only could emergency medical workers infect vulnerable patients or become infected themselves, officials said, absenteeism because of the flu could hamper their ability to perform critical services.

The city's Health Department has received requests for more than 96,000 doses but obtained only 17,000, spokesman Jeff Hershberger said. Staff must decide how to divvy up the limited doses.

So far, most of Kansas City's doses have gone to health care providers serving pregnant women, young children and caregivers of infants. Hershberger said first-responders were next.

"We still expect for there to be plenty," Hershberger said of the vaccine. "It's just that it's coming out a lot more slowly than we had originally hoped."

Health care and emergency medical personnel with direct patient contact are third on a list of five priority groups outlined by the CDC. Others are pregnant women, people who care for children younger than 6 months, children ages 6 months through 4 years and children ages 5 through 18 who have chronic medical conditions.

The CDC then recommends vaccinating other health care personnel, everyone between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, and 25- to 64-year-olds with chronic health problems or compromised immune systems.

In all, those groups make up more than 150 million Americans. As of Wednesday, the CDC said 16.9 million doses of swine flu vaccine had been shipped.

To reach Sara Shepherd, call 816-234-4366 or send e-mail to sshepherd@kcstar.com.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0102-39325616