news-record.com

A panel of scientists, doctors and other experts met to review what is known about swine flu, otherwise known as the novel H1N1 virus, and who is at highest risk.

The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices targeted five groups for immunizations:

—Pregnant women.

—Household contacts of children under 6 months of age. This is to protect children who are too young to receive the vaccine themselves.

—Health-care workers.

—Young people age 6 months to 24 years.

—Non-elderly adults with high-risk medical conditions.

One group missing from the priority list is the elderly. People age 65 and older risk severe complications from the seasonal flu, but they have been largely spared from complications caused by the H1N1 virus.

Health experts suspect that seniors may have developed some immunity because they were exposed to a similar virus during their lifetimes.

Seniors will be strongly encouraged to get the seasonal flu vaccine this fall as usual, but will initially be asked to hold off on theswine flu vaccine.

"We really want people 65 and older to know how important the seasonal flu vaccine is," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, part of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many questions remain about a swine flu vaccine, including when it will be ready, whether it will pass safety tests, whether people will need to be immunized twice and how much might be produced.

Clinical trials have begun in Australia and will soon start in the United States.

The targeted groups include as many as 159 million people, although the actual number is probably less because of overlap among the groups, Schuchat said.

If supplies are limited, the advisory committee identified a smaller group of about 40 million people that should have the highest priority, including: pregnant women, household contacts of children less than 6 months old, health care and emergency workers who have direct patient contact, children age 6 months to 4 years, and children age 5 to 18 years who have chronic medical conditions.

Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the H1N1 virus, a study revealed this week. Nationwide, from April to June six pregnant women died after contracting swine flu. All were previously healthy and developed viral pneumonia that led to acute respiratory distress.

The CDC recommends that pregnant women suspected of having the flu be immediately treated with antiviral medications. Plans call for having thimerosal-free versions of the sinw flue vaccine available, Schuchat said. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative.