OPINION: Get vaccine for swine flu if you have the chance

The swine flu has been bad news, and it could get worse as winter approaches. A bit of good news, however, is that the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new vaccine.

Everyone who has the opportunity should get the shot to protect themselves from this novel flu strain, formally known as H1N1.

The FDA gave its approval Tuesday, and the U.S. government has ordered 195 million doses of the vaccine, which is expected to arrive in mid-October, The Associated Press reported.

Eventually, government officials plan to have sufficient amounts of the vaccine for anyone who wants it, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said earlier this week.

But only 45 million of the doses are expected to arrive by Oct. 15. The United States also will share 10 percent of its vaccine supply with other nations to fight a pandemic of the flu, President Barack Obama announced Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t expect a shortage of the vaccine, although its Web site concedes the possibility that the vaccine might be available in limited quantities when it first arrives.

In such a scenario, the Centers says giving the vaccine to the following groups will be a priority: pregnant women, people with children younger than 6 months old, health-care and emergency medical services workers, people from 6 months to 24 years of age, and those 25 to 64 who have chronic health problems or immune-system issues that place them are at higher risk for catching the novel flu.

Needless to say, those most at risk of catching swine flu and suffering complications from the illness should be first in line, as the government recommends.

“With it being novel, just every day it’s something new,” said Costa Cockfield, chief nursing officer at Carolinas Hospital System.

Hospitals have started taking such measures as encouraging their employees to be vaccinated, and they are following such CDC recommendations as limiting visitors younger than 12, which seems to be the median age for those who are testing positive for H1N1, Cockfield said.

“People need to protect themselves as best they can from this,” she said.

It doesn’t take much for anyone to catch the flu and spread it quickly to others who will in turn spread it to others.

That’s why the vaccine is a good idea for anyone else who can get it as supplies become more readily available to the U.S. population.

You can find out more about the vaccines and where they’ll be available in your county by visiting http://www.sc dhec.gov/flu/clinics.asp on the Web.

While we wait on the vaccine to arrive, DHEC recommends taking the following steps to avoid catching all strains of the flu:

n Wash hands frequently and thoroughly

n Cover your cough with your sleeve

n Stay home when sick

n Keep away from people who are sick

n Eat healthy foods and get a good deal of rest.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).